Elon Musk has fired back after Bill Gates accused him of “killing the world’s poorest children” due to his role overseeing massive cuts at USAID. Appointed by President Trump to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk has been at the center of controversy for slashing foreign aid programs—including dismantling USAID, once the world’s largest humanitarian donor.
Gates recently condemned Musk in an interview with the Financial Times, blaming him for triggering humanitarian fallout by halting funding for life-saving medicine and food programs. Gates warned of rising infections in places like Gaza, where he claims HIV prevention support was abruptly canceled under false accusations that aid was being funneled to Hamas.
In a blunt response posted to Twitter, Musk wrote simply: “Gates is a huge liar.” He previously defended his decision to eliminate USAID, calling it “a ball of worms” and arguing that it was too broken to fix. Musk has repeatedly claimed that redirecting funds from bloated federal programs will benefit American taxpayers.
Despite the criticism, Musk shows no sign of changing course. His leadership at DOGE has already led to the termination of thousands of federal workers and a broader rollback of U.S. involvement in global aid. Meanwhile, public debate continues over whether such extreme measures serve efficiency—or come at too high a human cost.
