Elon Musk drove fringe viewpoints on USAID into the mainstream on X, as the Trump administration halted the humanitarian relief agency’s work.

Former Rep. Liz Cheney acknowledged her past work for USAID, tweeting, "Damn right" after Elon Musk took notice of her connection to the agency.

One China expert told Newsweek that the USAID funding freeze had handed an "enormous gift" to Beijing's push to influence the Global South. Meanwhile, one Kremlin propagandist has said on Russian television that Moscow could exploit the gap left by USAID and project geopolitical power with a similar program.