Washington – U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday ridiculed Lesotho as an obscure nation while justifying his administration’s decision to slash foreign aid.
Addressing Congress, Trump listed previous U.S. aid expenditures, including “Eight million dollars to promote LGBTQI+ rights in the African nation of Lesotho,” before stumbling over the pronunciation. “Which nobody has ever heard of,” he added, drawing laughter from Republican lawmakers as Vice President JD Vance and Speaker Mike Johnson looked on.
Lesotho, which has one of the world’s highest HIV/AIDS infection rates, has received extensive U.S. assistance for healthcare and social programs. Since 2006, the U.S. has contributed over $630 million to HIV/AIDS relief efforts in the country, according to the U.S. embassy.
Lesotho gets a mention in President Trump’s address to Congress… when highlighting ‘examples’ of wasteful expenditure on programmes around the world. https://t.co/udfhIJJIct
— Sherwin Bryce-Pease (@sherwiebp) March 5, 2025Last year, the U.S. signed a $300 million deal through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) to improve health services and agricultural productivity in Lesotho. The MCC funds countries that meet governance and democratic standards.
Since returning to office, Trump has slashed more than 90 percent of U.S. foreign aid, arguing the funds should be redirected toward domestic tax cuts. His administration has also dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), ending most overseas development programs.
