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It all began with a viral post on Elon Musk’s X — formerly Twitter — from the account @libsoftiktok, shared on October 3, 2025. The post claimed that Democrats were demanding taxpayer dollars for a list of foreign aid projects so absurd it reads like a Mad Libs session at a CPAC afterparty.
Among the alleged horrors: “$3 million for circumcisions and vasectomies in Zambia,” “$3.6 million for pastry cooking classes and dance focus groups for male prostitutes in Haiti,” and “$300k for a pride parade in Lesotho.” You can view the original post here: (https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1974240985698726136).
Naturally, the list exploded across MAGA media, where nuance goes to die and context is considered a liberal conspiracy. But when you dig into the actual programs, funding sources, and project goals, the claims unravel faster than a QAnon thread in a fact-checker’s inbox.
Let’s take a joyride through the list and see what’s real, what’s exaggerated, and what’s pure fiction.
Claim: “$3 million for circumcisions and vasectomies in Zambia”
This one sounds like a fever dream from someone who thinks public health is a communist plot. In reality, U.S. health aid to Zambia supports HIV prevention, maternal health, and reproductive services — including voluntary male circumcision, which reduces HIV transmission risk. Vasectomies? Not a line item.
The funding is part of broader health initiatives through PEPFAR and USAID, which support antiretroviral treatment, test kits, and maternal health commodities — not a vasectomy assembly line.
News Diggers Zambia (www.diggers.news/guest-diggers/2025/04/07/us-foreign-aid-reduction-what-does-this-mean-for-zambias-health-sector-part-2) Open Zambia (www.openzambia.com/economics/2025/1/30/exclusive-zambia-faces-500-million-blow-as-us-aid-freeze-takes-hold) ( Did Chick-fil-A Help Fund an Anti-LGBT Death Penalty Law in Uganda? | Snopes.com )
Claim: “$833k for transgender people in Nepal”
This one’s a favorite among the “America First” crowd who think Nepal is a liberal fever dream. In reality, U.S. aid supported LGBTQ+ health centers offering HIV prevention, safe-sex counseling, and basic medical care — services that have now shuttered due to aid cuts.
The $833k figure? Not confirmed. But even if it were, it would be a drop in the bucket compared to the $695 million in total USAID-supported projects in Nepal — most of which go to health, agriculture, and education.
📎 U.S. News & World Report (www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2025-05-01/us-funds-supported-nepals-growing-lgbtq-community-now-that-money-is-gone) 📎 The Diplomat (www.thediplomat.com/2025/02/how-will-us-foreign-aid-freeze-affect-nepal)
Claim: “$4.2 million for LGBTQ people in the Western Balkans and Uganda”
This one’s a two-for-one panic special. In the Western Balkans, U.S. aid has supported civil society groups promoting human rights, including LGBTQ+ rights — but the actual funding is being cut, not expanded.
In Uganda, where LGBTQ+ people face criminalization, U.S. aid has focused on HIV prevention and drop-in health centers. These programs are now under threat due to the foreign aid freeze.
📎 Balkan Insight (www.balkaninsight.com/2025/01/30/trumps-suspension-of-us-foreign-aid-hits-hundreds-of-balkan-projects) 📎 Observer Uganda (www.observer.ug/viewpoint/us-aid-withdraw-to-severely-affect-sexual-minorities)
Claim: “$3.6 million for pastry cooking classes and dance focus groups for male prostitutes in Haiti”
This one deserves a standing ovation for creativity. There is zero evidence — none — that U.S. aid funded pastry classes for male sex workers. What does exist is funding for HIV/AIDS prevention and civil society strengthening, including support for at-risk youth.
The largest Haitian recipient of USAID funding is SEROvie, which provides services to vulnerable populations, including LGBTQ+ youth. But pastry classes? That’s pure fiction.
📎 CEPR (www.cepr.net/publications/a-look-at-usaid-spending-in-haiti) 📎 USAID OIG Haiti Brief (www.oig.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2025-02/Haiti%20Briefer_Risks%20to%20US%20Foreign%20Assistance_February%202025.pdf)
Claim: “$500k for electric buses in Rwanda”
Finally, a claim that’s actually true — sort of. USAID awarded $1.5 million to BasiGo, a Nairobi-based electric bus company, to scale green public transportation in Rwanda. The goal? Reduce toxic emissions and modernize Kigali’s transit system.
So yes, electric buses. But no, it’s not a secret plot to turn Rwanda into San Francisco on wheels.
📎 Sharp Daily (www.thesharpdaily.com/basigo-electric-buses-rwanda) 📎 BasiGo (www.basi-go.com/in-the-news/blog-post-title-one-pmg9m)
Claim: “$6 million for media organizations for the Palestinians”
This one is technically plausible — but wildly misrepresented. U.S. aid to Palestinian territories has supported humanitarian relief, economic development, and yes, media training. But every dollar is vetted under strict anti-terrorism protocols.
USAID’s West Bank and Gaza program resumed in 2021 and has been under intense scrutiny. The idea that $6 million is being handed to Hamas-run media outlets is not just false — it’s legally impossible.
📎 U.S. GAO (www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-106243) 📎 Politico (www.politico.com/news/2025/06/21/israeli-backed-group-seeks-at-least-30-million-from-us-for-aid-distribution-in-gaza-00416401)
Claim: “$300k for a pride parade in Lesotho”
This one was born from a Trump speech mocking foreign aid. The People’s Matrix Association, Lesotho’s leading LGBTQ+ group, denied receiving any such funding. The U.S. foreign assistance website shows no record of LGBTQ-specific funding in Lesotho.
The actual U.S. aid to Lesotho? Focused on HIV/AIDS prevention, not rainbow floats and glitter cannons.
📎 Mamba Online (www.mambaonline.com/2025/03/09/lesotho-lgbt-group-denies-trumps-8-million-funding-claim) 📎 Pink News (www.thepinknews.com/2025/03/05/lesotho-lgbtq-trump)
Claim: “$882k for social media and mentorship in Serbia”
This one is a mangled version of a real program. USAID’s Strengthening Media Systems initiative in Serbia supports independent journalism, podcast platforms, and digital media literacy — including mentorship and audience engagement.
It’s not TikTok training for woke influencers. It’s about helping Serbian media survive in a landscape dominated by state-controlled outlets.
📎 IREX (www.irex.org/project/strengthening-media-systems) 📎 USAFacts (www.usafacts.org/answers/how-much-foreign-aid-does-the-us-provide/countries/serbia)
Final Thoughts: Ragebait Ain’t Reality
The viral list of “Democrat-funded foreign aid disasters” from @libsoftiktok is a masterclass in embellishment. It cherry-picks real programs, strips them of context, and repackages them as punchlines for outrage. The truth? U.S. foreign aid is tightly regulated, often bipartisan, and overwhelmingly focused on health, education, and economic development.
So next time someone tells you your tax dollars are funding dance classes for male prostitutes in Haiti, ask them for a receipt. And maybe a pastry.
Bibliography & Sources
Primary Sources Cited in the Article
- Libs of TikTok post on Elon Musk’s X (Twitter) (https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1974240985698726136)
- News Diggers Zambia: “US Foreign Aid Reduction: What Does This Mean for Zambia’s Health Sector?” (www.diggers.news/guest-diggers/2025/04/07/us-foreign-aid-reduction-what-does-this-mean-for-zambias-health-sector-part-2)
- Open Zambia: “Zambia Faces $500 Million Blow as US Aid Freeze Takes Hold” (www.openzambia.com/economics/2025/1/30/exclusive-zambia-faces-500-million-blow-as-us-aid-freeze-takes-hold)
- U.S. News & World Report: “US Funds Supported Nepal’s Growing LGBTQ Community. Now That Money Is Gone.” (www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2025-05-01/us-funds-supported-nepals-growing-lgbtq-community-now-that-money-is-gone)
- The Diplomat: “How Will US Foreign Aid Freeze Affect Nepal?” (www.thediplomat.com/2025/02/how-will-us-foreign-aid-freeze-affect-nepal)
- Balkan Insight: “Trump’s Suspension of US Foreign Aid Hits Hundreds of Balkan Projects” (www.balkaninsight.com/2025/01/30/trumps-suspension-of-us-foreign-aid-hits-hundreds-of-balkan-projects)
- Observer Uganda: “US Aid Withdraw to Severely Affect Sexual Minorities” (www.observer.ug/viewpoint/us-aid-withdraw-to-severely-affect-sexual-minorities)
- CEPR: “A Look at USAID Spending in Haiti” (www.cepr.net/publications/a-look-at-usaid-spending-in-haiti)
- USAID OIG Haiti Brief: “Risks to US Foreign Assistance” (www.oig.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2025-02/Haiti%20Briefer_Risks%20to%20US%20Foreign%20Assistance_February%202025.pdf)
- Sharp Daily: “BasiGo Electric Buses in Rwanda” (www.thesharpdaily.com/basigo-electric-buses-rwanda)
- BasiGo: “Blog Post Title One” (www.basi-go.com/in-the-news/blog-post-title-one-pmg9m)
- U.S. GAO: “Foreign Assistance Oversight in West Bank and Gaza” (www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-106243)
- Politico: “Israeli-Backed Group Seeks At Least $30 Million from US for Aid Distribution in Gaza” (www.politico.com/news/2025/06/21/israeli-backed-group-seeks-at-least-30-million-from-us-for-aid-distribution-in-gaza-00416401)
- Mamba Online: “Lesotho LGBT Group Denies Trump’s $8 Million Funding Claim” (www.mambaonline.com/2025/03/09/lesotho-lgbt-group-denies-trumps-8-million-funding-claim)
- Pink News: “Lesotho LGBTQ Trump Claim Debunked” (www.thepinknews.com/2025/03/05/lesotho-lgbtq-trump)
- IREX: “Strengthening Media Systems in Serbia” (www.irex.org/project/strengthening-media-systems)
- USAFacts: “How Much Foreign Aid Does the US Provide?” (www.usafacts.org/answers/how-much-foreign-aid-does-the-us-provide/countries/serbia)
Additional Resources for Debunking MAGA/AGA Foreign Aid Claims
ProPublica: “How Foreign Aid Gets Twisted into Culture War Clickbait” (www.propublica.org/article/foreign-aid-misinformation-social-media)
Brennan Center for Justice: “Foreign Aid and Misinformation” (www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/foreign-aid-and-misinformation)
FactCheck.org: “Debunking Viral Claims About Foreign Aid” (www.factcheck.org/2025/03/debunking-viral-foreign-aid-claims)
USAID Fact Sheet: “What US Foreign Assistance Actually Funds” (www.usaid.gov/news-information/fact-sheets/what-us-foreign-assistance-actually-funds)
Congressional Research Service: “Foreign Aid: An Overview of US Programs and Funding” (www.crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R40213)
Brookings Institution: “Why Foreign Aid Is Actually in America’s Interest” (www.brookings.edu/articles/why-foreign-aid-is-actually-in-americas-interest)
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