This is a special Saturday edition of Devex Pro Insider from Senior Reporter Michael Igoe. For the next few months, this newsletter will tackle some of the biggest questions about the future of U.S. foreign aid, with insider reporting and analysis delivered straight to your inbox.
A criminal organization. Patriotic, hard-working Americans. A ball of worms. The best of America. Covert regime-change. Protector of democracy. Condoms for Gaza. Saving millions of lives. Waste, fraud, and abuse. An essential investment in national security. Radical lunatics. From the American people.
The rhetoric around U.S. foreign aid has been supercharged and superpolarized since President Donald Trump took office in January. This war of words — fueled by anti-aid disinformation — has reverberated around the internet, the country, and the world, shaping strong opinions about a slice of U.S. foreign policy that previously flew under the radar.