Bush, Obama and a tearful Bono fault Trump's gutting of USAID on agency's last day [View all]
Source: AP
By ELLEN KNICKMEYER
Updated 2:31 PM CDT, June 30, 2025
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush delivered rare open criticism of the Trump administration — and singer Bono held back tears as he recited a poem — in an emotional video farewell on Monday with staffers of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Monday was the last day as an independent agency for the six-decade-old humanitarian and development organization, created by President John F. Kennedy as a peaceful way of promoting U.S. national security by boosting goodwill and prosperity abroad.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has ordered USAID absorbed into the State Department on Tuesday.
The former presidents and Bono spoke during a videoconference with thousands in the USAID community, which was billed as a closed-press event to allow political leaders and others privacy for sometimes angry and often teary remarks. Parts of the video were shared with The Associated Press.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/obama-bono-bush-usaid-trump-950f7708c01502c759f1c10524752b8e
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