We have already had the chance to observe the ineffable Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s spokesperson—young, white, and blonde, as befits a MAGA (Make America Great Again) representative—who, however, speaks without much control over what she says or the words she chooses. On Tuesday, with an emphasis that would have been better spent elsewhere, she claimed that the administration had taken advantage of the president’s pause on foreign aid to block a plan in which “50 million taxpayer dollars were about to be sent to fund condoms in Gaza.”
For his part, Trump himself doubled down yesterday: “We identified and stopped the transfer of 50 million dollars to Gaza to buy condoms for Hamas.” Condoms for Hamas!!!
CNN conducted a fact-check, listing “at least” five solid reasons why these claims are completely false and unfounded: “No U.S. government funding has been used to procure or distribute condoms.”
Meanwhile, the International Medical Corps, the American organization running two field hospitals in Gaza—one of the recipients of the “intercepted” funds, having received 68 million dollars from USAID since October 7, 2023—stated that “U.S. funding has covered ‘lifesaving medical care’ for around 33,000 civilians per month.” Trump’s freeze, on the other hand, is blocking U.S. funding for hospital services such as about 30 lifesaving surgeries per day, the delivery of around 20 babies per day, the operation of an emergency room receiving up to 200 patients daily, and the management of one of Gaza’s only neonatal intensive care units and stabilization centers for severely malnourished children.
“If the aid suspension order remains in place,” the statement continues, “we won’t be able to sustain these activities beyond next week.”
What’s that? Well, yes—as a French researcher pointed out yesterday in Le Monde—the Trump administration doesn’t just tolerate disinformation; it makes it the central tool of its governance. So brace yourselves for the worst with this White House, knowing that “there’s no end to how bad things can get.”
