Rwanda president stuns CNN's Larry Madowo with response to Trump's USAID bloodbath

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Rwanda's president left CNN's Larry Madowo stunned as he shared his stance on Donald Trump's move to dismantle the US Agency for International Development.

Paul Kagame, 67, who has been in the top job since 2000, floored the network's foreign correspondent when he 'completely agreed' with the Trump's massive cuts to the government agency. 

Trump revealed he would close down the entire organization, which delivers billions of dollars in humanitarian aid overseas, on Friday.

'CLOSE IT DOWN!' Trump, 78, wrote of USAID on Truth Social on Friday morning, while also accusing the agency of rampant corruption and fraud. 

He had previously asserted that the agency was 'run by radical lunatics.'

'President Trump has unconventional ways of doing things... I completely agree with him on many things,' Kagame said during the special.

Madowo, an international correspondent for the left-wing outlet, then questioned Kagame on his stance while pointing out that the East African country 'depends on some US aid' for healthcare and development. 

'Even though it will hurt you, as Rwanda depends on some us aid to fund your healthcare and development?' Madowo probed.

Paul Kagame, 67, who has been the president of the African country since 2000, floored the CNN foreign correspondent when he 'completely agreed' with Trump's massive cuts to the government agency

Larry Madowo (left), an international correspondent for the left-wing outlet, then questioned Kagame (right) on his stance while pointing out that the East African country 'depends on some US aid' for healthcare and development

'I think from being hurt, we might learn some lessons,' Kagame replied.

USAID began its assistance to Rwanda in the mid-1960s, according to the US Agency for International Development. 

During that period, support for the East African country averaged about $400,000 annually, with programs primarly focused on health and sanitation, public safety and public service training. 

As Rwanda’s largest bilateral donor, the US has helped support the agriculture-led poverty reduction the country has seen over the past 15 years, according to USAID.gov.

'Rwanda has achieved remarkable declines in maternal and under-five mortality over the past decade, demonstrating the highest average annual rates of reduction among the 75 countries where more than 95 percent of maternal and child death occur,' the website reads.

From 2010 to 2015, under-five mortality was reduced from 76 to 50 child deaths per 1,000 live births, while the maternal mortality rate was reduced from 476 maternal deaths to 210 per 100,000 live births, thanks to USAID intervention.

The struggling country has also achieved success in increasing access to education, with primary school enrollment standing at 97 percent. 

Before the federal aid agency came under the president's fire, USAID/Rwanda’s programs sought to build on its successes in four key areas: health, economic growth, education, and democracy and governance. 

USAID has been one of the federal agencies most targeted by the Trump administration in an escalating crackdown on the federal government and many of its programs.

'It’s been run by a bunch of radical lunatics. And we’re getting them out,' Trump said to reporters about USAID on Sunday night.

Trump, his close ally, now dubbed 'first buddy,' Elon Musk and some Republican lawmakers have targeted the agency in increasingly strident terms, accusing it of promoting liberal causes.

The agency was created to provide humanitarian relief overseas, however, it has been given the axe after it was declared 'beyond repair' by the new Trump administration.

USAID staffers were instructed to stay out of the agency’s DC headquarters on Monday after Musk announced the president agreed with him to shut the agency down.

The billionaire 'first buddy,' who is leading a civilian review of the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has claimed the agency is a 'criminal organization.'

'It became apparent that its not an apple with a worm it in,' Musk said in a live session on X Spaces early Monday. 'What we have is just a ball of worms. You’ve got to basically get rid of the whole thing. It’s beyond repair.'

'We’re shutting it down.'

President Donald Trump, 78, shockingly announced that he was closing down the entire agency, which delivers billions of dollars in humanitarian aid overseas on Friday

USAID has been one of the federal agencies most targeted by the Trump administration in an escalating crackdown on the federal government and many of its programs. Pictured: A worker removes the signage outside the United States Agency for International Aid building after President Trump and Musk called for it to be shuttered

USAID, whose website vanished Saturday without explanation, administers billions of dollars in humanitarian, development and security programs in about 120 countries.

It was established in 1961 under president John F Kennedy to 'lead US efforts to alleviate poverty, disease, and humanitarian need, and assists U.S. commercial interests by supporting developing countries’ economic growth and building countries’ capacity to participate in world trade,' according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS).

The aid agency, which managed over $40million in 2023, employs over 10,000 people - with approximately two-thirds serving overseas.

The countries who received the most USAID-managed funds in 2023 were Ukraine, Ethiopia, Jordan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Syria.

USAID's biggest funding sectors have been related to health since the 1990s, with the agency donating billions to combat HIV/AIDS around the world.

Aside from funds for humanitarian relief like food and medicine, USAID also funds pro-democracy NGOs that focus on education and legal aid in places under authoritarian regimes.

People protest in front of the U.S. Capitol against the administration of President Trump's decision to virtually shut down the United States Agency for International Development

Tributes are placed beneath the covered seal of the US Agency for International Development  at their headquarters in Washington, DC, on February 7

The agency has also helped fund pro-democracy projects such as independent media in nations like Ukraine, Georgia, Venezuela and Mozambique. According to the Center for International Media Assistance, the US government is the largest public donor to independent media development globally - largely through USAID.

USAID has also funded pro-LGBTQ initiatives such as a group in Serbia called 'Grupa Izadji,' which in English translates to 'Group Come Out.'

Former Obama administration Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, led the agency during Joe Biden's term.

While the official USAID website has been shut down, an archival page from the first Trump administration describes its mission as 'promoting and demonstrating democratic values and advancing a free, peaceful, and prosperous world.'