Irish singer-songwriter and U2 frontman Bono tore into President Donald Trump in an interview with Esquire over the administration's decimation of foreign aid programs.
Bono, who has been involved in social and political causes around the world for decades and frequently criticized Trump in the past, said the president stands to wreck progress on health and food security for the most vulnerable.
“The most unbelievable carnage imaginable is happening to our work,” Bono told Esquire. “These are the brightest, best people, who’ve given their lives trying to serve the poorest, most vulnerable communities, and they’ve just been thrown in the dumpster.”
Despite his current criticism of Trump and the Republican Party, historically he hasn't been afraid to work with whoever will advance his causes: For instance, noted the interview, "He controversially worked with George W. Bush to pass the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program, even against criticism from the Left. But according to a recent report, the program states that it is responsible for saving over 26 million lives since its creation."
Trump recently moved to halt that program, triggering outcry.
“I describe myself as a radical centrist,” Bono continued. “And I am sure that that sounds absurd, but I am also sure that is how we get through the future. What’s being served up on the far left and on the far right is not where we need to be.”
Trump's effort to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, has resulted in the suspension of critical programs around the world that benefit the U.S. in hundreds of ways, from giving early warning of pandemics to building up support for American values abroad.
Legal challenges have been filed to these cuts, with some federal judges issuing preliminary orders that prevent the agency from being dismantled. The Trump administration has sought to skirt these rulings whenever possible.
