Elon Musk accused USAID of funding the development of COVID-19.
Did you know that USAID, using YOUR tax dollars, funded bioweapon research, including COVID-19, that killed millions of people? https://t.co/YVwyKA7ifs
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 2, 2025
He also shared a post from a blogger stating that USAID spent $53 million funding research, including on COVID-19, through the EcoHealth Alliance. It also mentions that the Agency for International Development supported research on enhancing coronaviruses at a lab in Wuhan.
The day before, as reported by NBC News, the White House placed two USAID employees on administrative leave after they tried to obstruct inspectors from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, from accessing classified USAID materials. The DOGE employees eventually gained access, but it remains unclear what information was contained there.
We reported that the website of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and all its official social media accounts went offline on Saturday, February 1. The agency's account on the platform X had nearly one million followers.