Elon Musk has claimed that President Donald Trump agreed to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) after officials blocked access to classified materials for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Musk heads.
The clash occurred when DOGE attempted to inspect USAID’s security systems and personnel records. Musk referred to USAID as a “criminal organization” and stated it was “time for it to die.” The Trump administration has been targeting USAID for cuts and restructuring, leading to disruptions in its humanitarian and development missions.
Early Monday, Musk held a live session on X Spaces, previously known as Twitter Spaces, and said that he spoke in detail about USAID with the president. “He agreed we should shut it down,” Musk said.
“It became apparent that its not an apple with a worm it in,” Musk said. “What we have is just a ball of worms. You’ve got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It’s beyond repair.” “We’re shutting it down.”
His comments come after the administration placed two top security chiefs at USAID on leave after they refused to turn over classified material in restricted areas to Musk’s government inspection teams, a current and a former U.S. official told The Associated Press on Sunday.
