# The Ugly American: the real cost of Trump and Musk's aid cuts

An episode of [Christiane Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1807787260), 8 Jul 2025, 42 min.

Audio: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/37a69501-9792-41d4-a79c-ed7ddf78b782.mp3?aw_0_1st.showid=fbbc0fd6-7f5d-4503-91ab-00eef2763889&aw_0_1st.episodeid=37a69501-9792-41d4-a79c-ed7ddf78b782

Did Trump's cuts to the National Weather Service contribute to the death toll in the tragic floods in Texas? And how many lives will needlessly be lost because of the President and his former adviser Elon Musk taking a chainsaw to foreign aid? This week, Christiane and Jamie look at the real-life impact of the swingeing cuts Trump has made since returning to the White House, and examine the fatal consequences of these decisions. They also tell personal stories to explain the impact USAID has had in the past, from fighting AIDS in Africa, to ending famine in Somalia and successfully combating Russian disinformation across the globe - and question what the real motivation is behind the President's bid to cut foreign aid spending. Contact us at: amanpourpod@global.com For more content, please follow us: Watch us: https://www.youtube.com/@AmanpourPod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amanpourpod X: https://x.com/AmanpourPod Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Christiane-Amanpour-Presents BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/amanpourpod.bsky.social

Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them.