The White House has responded strongly to Richard Gere’s recent claims about the Trump administration’s termination of the USAID program, which he argues supported numerous left-leaning initiatives and politicians with taxpayer funds.
While promoting the second season of the Paramount+ Spy series, Gere spoke with The Associated Press, but instead of focusing solely on the show, he took the opportunity to criticize Trump.
Gere directed his criticism at Trump during the interview with the Associated Press, expressing his discontent over issues related to immigration, Israel, and cuts to USAID.
On the topic of USAID, Gere expressed sorrow over its discontinuation, stating, “USAID was probably the purest thing America had done up until that moment. It was a giveaway program to the poor. He quit that day. It was insane. He doesn’t even know what USAID stands for. There are idiots around him who are just as ignorant about USAID.”
The White House didn’t take this lightly. Their official response account on X criticized Gere’s remarks.
“What would the world be like without millions of dollars for sex change in Guatemala or DEI in Serbia? Because that’s the kind of nonsense USAID was funding,” the response noted.
“It was a slush fund for radical left-wing activists to enrich themselves and undercut America’s national interests.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been vocal on this topic as well, highlighting that a mere fraction of the funds provided through USAID actually reaches those in need. Last May, he noted that only 12 cents of each dollar allocated to USAID truly assists those in distress, while the majority supports foreign officials, leftist initiatives, and politicians.
“At USAID, 12 cents of every dollar was going to recipients,” Rubio explained, “meaning much of our funding was consumed by supporting this foreign aid industrial complex.”
“We’re going to seek better methods for delivering aid directly to people. This will be managed by regional offices and through programs that genuinely make an impact. It’s going to be part of a comprehensive strategy for our foreign policy.”
Catch Gere’s AP interview below.
