Kathrine Frich
Musk has led a drastic overhaul of U.S. foreign aid, including the closure of USAID.
Musk has led a drastic overhaul of U.S. foreign aid, including the closure of USAID.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has publicly accused Elon Musk of “killing the world’s poorest children” following sweeping humanitarian aid cuts linked to Musk’s new role in the Trump administration.
Under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk has led a drastic overhaul of U.S. foreign aid, including the closure of USAID, the world’s largest humanitarian donor.
The fallout, Gates warns, is not just political, it’s lethal.
DOGE Cuts Spark Humanitarian Crisis
Since being tapped to lead DOGE by President Trump, Elon Musk has overseen deep cuts to federal agencies.
The most significant has been the dismantling of USAID, which in 2023 alone provided over $40 billion in humanitarian support.
Musk called the agency a “criminal organization” and claimed it needed to be “wiped out completely.”
Gates Slams Musk’s Decisions as Deadly
In an interview with the Financial Times, Gates described the consequences of Musk’s policies as catastrophic. “
The world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children is not a pretty picture,” he said, pointing to vaccine shortages, disrupted HIV treatments, and rotting food aid sitting in warehouses.
Impact on HIV and Maternal Health in Gaza
Gates specifically condemned Musk’s cancellation of aid to a Gaza hospital working to prevent HIV transmission from mothers to newborns.
Musk had falsely claimed the aid was being used to distribute condoms to Hamas. Gates challenged him:
“I’d love for him to go meet the children infected with HIV because he cut that money.”
Lifesaving Programs Cut Overnight
According to Gates, life-saving medicines, vaccines, and food supplies funded by USAID are now sitting idle or expiring.
Entire supply chains for critical aid in Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East have collapsed, he said, leading to resurgences in diseases like measles, polio, and HIV.
A Long-Running Feud Between Billionaires
This isn’t the first time Gates and Musk have clashed. Back in 2012, Musk dismissed the “Giving Pledge” initiative, co-founded by Gates, as “bulls***.”
The ongoing ideological divide between the two men has widened under the new administration, with Gates focused on global equity and Musk championing austerity.
Trump’s DOGE Mission: Efficiency Over Empathy?
Trump’s appointment of Musk to lead DOGE was framed as a way to cut government waste.
But critics say the cost-cutting has come at the expense of the world’s most vulnerable.
Gates argues that eliminating programs indiscriminately for the sake of efficiency ignores their human cost.
Gates to Spend $200 Billion Before 2045
In contrast to Musk’s retrenchment of aid, Gates is ramping up.
He announced a personal pledge to spend nearly all of his fortune before 2045, funnelling $200 billion into global health, vaccines, maternal care, and disease eradication efforts.
“There are too many urgent problems to solve,” he said.
“He Died Rich Will Not Be on My Tombstone”
Gates ended his critique with a stark contrast in legacy goals.
“People will say a lot of things about me when I die,” he said, “but I am determined that ‘he died rich’ will not be one of them.”
His message was as much about ethics as economics.