In 2018, Melania Trump declared, “We care,” during a visit to Egypt, where she was promoting her partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). She expressed that the purpose of her visit was to showcase the agency’s positive impact, stating, “We care, and we want to show the world that we care.” This message was emphasized during her travels in Africa later that year, her first major solo international trip as first lady, where she highlighted the success of USAID programs.
In Malawi, for example, Melania distributed school supplies, bags, and soccer balls as part of her “BeBest” initiative in collaboration with a USAID literacy program. Reflecting on her visit, she shared with ABC News, “It’s really touching… I’m glad to be here to see firsthand what children are experiencing and the positive educational efforts being made.”
However, six years later, her husband, President Donald Trump, is pursuing efforts to dismantle many of the programs she once praised. The White House recently released a memo accusing USAID of being wasteful and unaccountable, labeling the agency as a “tremendous fraud” for misallocating taxpayer dollars.
This stance is in stark contrast to Melania Trump’s past remarks, particularly her visit to Malawi, where she lauded the agency’s work in distributing over 1.4 million textbooks to primary school students. During the visit, she explained the importance of such initiatives, saying, “When people have opportunities and societies are freer and more educated, we are stronger as the United States.”
During her tour of Africa, Melania also visited the Great Sphinx in Egypt, where she observed a USAID-backed project aimed at preventing groundwater erosion from damaging the monument’s ancient hieroglyphics. One senior USAID official recalled that Melania was deeply impressed with the project, which involved close cooperation with the Egyptian government to support local economic development.
This perspective wasn’t limited to Melania Trump alone. In 2019, then-President Donald Trump launched the “Women’s Global Development and Prosperity” (W-GDP) initiative, designed to empower women in developing countries. With a $50 million fund managed by USAID, the program aimed to help 50 million women by 2025. Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter, played a central role in spearheading the initiative, emphasizing its link to national security and the goal of fostering self-reliance for women and their families.
Ivanka had also visited Africa in 2018, where she met with women farmers in the cocoa industry and announced a $2 million USAID-backed project to support female entrepreneurs across the continent.
However, despite these initiatives, the current administration is now moving to reduce the scope of such programs. Early in his presidency, Donald Trump prioritized limiting diversity-focused initiatives in government, including signing an executive order that targeted federal funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. This week, the Trump administration announced plans to place most USAID direct-hire employees on administrative leave, excluding only core leadership and essential staff.
The evolving approach to USAID under the Trump administration marks a significant shift from the support and praise it once received from both Melania and Ivanka Trump.
