Trump and Musk Make Unsubstantiated Claims About USAID Officials’ Wealth

President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk have launched accusations suggesting officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) may have misappropriated taxpayer funds for personal gain, though they have provided no evidence to support these claims.

During a February 11 press conference at the White House, Musk, who leads the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), appeared alongside Trump to discuss the department’s progress. When prompted by the president about “crazy numbers” his team had discovered, Musk made vague allegations about government bureaucrats.

“We do find it rather odd that there are quite a few people in the bureaucracy who have, ostensibly, a salary of a few hundred thousand dollars, but somehow manage to accrue tens of millions of dollars of net worth while they are in that position, which is, you know, what happened at USAID,” Musk stated. “I think the reality is that they’re getting wealthy at the taxpayer expense.”

The claims appear to reference former USAID Administrator Samantha Power, who has recently been the subject of social media posts alleging her net worth increased from approximately $7 million to $30 million during her four-year tenure under the Biden administration. Musk amplified these claims on his social media platform X the day before the press conference, describing the situation as “very fishy.”

However, a careful examination of Power’s mandatory financial disclosures reveals a different picture. These documents, which are designed to identify potential conflicts of interest rather than calculate exact net worth, show that the range of Power’s wealth remained largely consistent throughout her time at USAID.

When Power entered office in January 2021, her disclosure form indicated shared wealth with her husband, prominent author and scholar Cass Sunstein, between $8.8 million and $29 million. Her most recent disclosure from 2024 shows a range between $12 million and $30.5 million.

The misleading social media claims appear to have compared the lower end of her initial wealth range with the higher end of her final disclosure, creating a false impression of dramatic enrichment. This selective use of the financial disclosure ranges distorts the reality reflected in the official documents.

It’s worth noting that Power’s wealth predated her government service. She is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author with several books to her name and previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations during the Obama administration. Her husband, Sunstein, also reports substantial income from royalties, academic positions, and speaking engagements.

The accusations come as the Trump administration has targeted USAID for potential closure through the DOGE initiative. This is not the first time the administration has made questionable claims about foreign aid or USAID’s operations.

Financial disclosure forms required of federal officials typically list assets and liabilities in broad ranges rather than specific figures, making precise calculations of net worth impossible. For example, one investment fund on Power’s 2024 disclosure is listed with a value between $1 million and $5 million.

The White House has not responded to requests for evidence supporting Musk’s claims, and no one making these allegations has provided substantiation for the assertion that Power’s net worth increased by $23 million during her time at USAID.

Accusing political opponents of suspicious wealth increases while in office is a common political tactic that has appeared frequently in American discourse across administrations. In this case, the available evidence does not support the narrative being advanced by Trump and Musk regarding USAID officials.