And as the foreign assistance agency faces intense White House scrutiny for “wasteful” and “fraudulent” spending on “pet projects,” Ivanka Trump directly used more than $11,000 in USAID money in 2019 to buy video recording and reproducing equipment for a White House event when she served as a senior advisor to her father during his first term, Newsweek reported.
Meanwhile, Melania Trump touted the positive impact of USAID funding on programs during a four-country tour of Africa when she was first lady in 2018.
“We care, and we want to show the world that we care, and I’ve partnered and am working with USAID,” Melania Trump told reporters in Egypt, ABC News reported at the time. Indeed, this USAID “partnership” helped Melania Trump promote her Be Best initiative, as she touted the positive impact that U.S. aid had communities in Africa, especially when it came to improving the lives of children, ABC News reported Thursday.
