Obama, Bush and U2’s Bono fault Trump’s gutting of USAID on agency’s last day
Monday was the last day as an independent agency for the six-decade-old humanitarian and development organisation
Former US presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush delivered rare open criticism of the Trump administration - and singer Bono held back tears as he recited a poem - in an emotional video farewell on Monday with staff of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Monday was the last day as an independent agency for the six-decade-old humanitarian and development organisation, created by former president John F. Kennedy as a peaceful way of promoting US national security by boosting goodwill and prosperity abroad.
The former presidents and Bono spoke during a videoconference with thousands in the USAID community, which was billed as a closed-press event to allow political leaders and others privacy for sometimes angry and often teary remarks. Parts of the video were shared with Associated Press.
