Trump defends foreign aid freeze: US funds ‘countries that hate us’

WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump on Saturday defended his decision to freeze foreign aid, arguing that the U.S. is sending "billions and billions of dollars to countries that hate us."

"I imposed that immediate federal hiring freeze, a federal regulation freeze, and a foreign aid freeze," Trump said during a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, DC. "We're giving billions and billions of dollars to countries that hate us."

Trump defended his administration's move to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as thousands of the agency's employees were placed on administrative leave.

"We've also effectively ended the left-wing scam known as USAID. The agency's name has been removed from its former building, and that space will now house agents from Customs and Border Patrol," he said.

Trump also touted his efforts to curb "government waste," highlighting the creation of what he called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is led by billionaire Elon Musk.

During his speech, Trump praised Musk, saying: "Elon is doing a great job. He's doing a great job."

"He's a character -- with his son X. We love X. He's the only one who can get away with naming his son X," he added.

Trump has given several examples of US spending on foreign programs which he considers as a waste, criticizing a $25 million allocation for biodiversity conservation and socially responsible behavior in Colombia.

"This is Colombia, South America, not Columbia University. Of course, that might be worse based on their actions," he added.

He claimed his administration was uncovering fraud within the Social Security system.

"We're also uncovering outrageous incompetence and fraud in Social Security," he said, vowing that under his administration, "there will be no tolerance for Social Security fraud."