
Bono's appearance on Joe Rogan show sparks outrage as Elon Musk calls him ‘liar' over shocking ‘300,000 deaths' claim
Irish music star Bono has drawn criticism from proponents of President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) campaign after quoting an expert who suggested that 300,000 fatalities may have been caused by the administration's cuts to USAID.
Elon Musk, the former head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), called Bono 'a liar/idiot' after he made the assertion during an interview on Joe Rogan's well-liked podcast broadcast on Friday.
The second Trump administration, which came to power in January, directed to shut down USAID and even placed a halt to most international aid payments, but this move was halted in court.
Critics warned the changes would affect some of the world's most disadvantaged, while supporters claimed they saved American taxpayers money that was being wasted.
Also Read: Elon Musk's viral 'hallucinating' video sparks buzz on social media; 'Somebody clocked him'
Bono, a founding member of U2, recently appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience and stated: 'Just recent report, it's not proven, but there's surveillance enough [to] suggest 300,000 people have already died from just this cut off, this hard cut, of USAID so there's food rotting in boats, in warehouses, this will f*** you off.'
'There is 50,000 tons of food that are stored in Djibouti, South Africa, Dubai, and wait for it Houston, Texas, that is rotting rather than going to Gaza, rather than going to Sudan, because the people who know the codes for the warehouse are fired, they're done,' he added.
Bono seemed to be referring to a study by Brooke Nichols, a quantitative modeler of infectious diseases at Boston University, who found that USAID cuts could have caused 300,000 fatalities, including 200,000 children, that could have been avoided.
Trump fans took to social media to express their outrage at Bono's allegation, including Elon Musk, who on Friday received a big key from the president as a token of gratitude as he resigned from the daily operations of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Regarding Bono, Musk wrote on X, 'He's such a liar/idiot. Zero people have died!'
In addition, well-known conservative X pundit Catturd said: 'Elon Musk calls out low IQ moron Bono for being an idiot and a liar.'
Mike Benz, executive director of the Foundation For Freedom Online advocacy group, posted a video of Bono's comments and stated, 'These USAID numbers are f***** faker than their COVID numbers.'
In addition, well-known conservative X pundit Catturd said: 'Elon Musk calls out low IQ moron Bono for being an idiot and a liar.'
'Bono wants taxpayers to fund the world's problems while he ducks his own bill in Ireland. A textbook hypocrite,' one more stated.
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Time of India
23 minutes ago
- Time of India
India-US trade pact: Effort on to facilitate preferential market access for both sides, says Piyush Goyal
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Hindustan Times
24 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Bill Clinton's dig at Donald Trump over ‘my way or highway' style governance: 'Never seen…'
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Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
X factor: The rise and fall of Elon Musk as a political figure
Elon Musk has officially resigned from the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Although his role was only temporary and departure was not surprising, it follows his criticism of President Donald Trump's tax bill. The 'Big Beautiful Bill' would not improve America's finances, he said, and will undermine his efforts to cut back on unnecessary government spending. Was there a clear divide between Trump and Musk? Only seven months ago, at his victory speech on 6 November, Trump spent four minutes praising Musk. 'A star is born—Elon!" said Trump. Musk had invested nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in Trump's campaign, which could explain his influence on the Trump administration. It was possibly the most astute investment Musk ever made. He oversaw Trump's DOGE and also shaped a far-right discourse both domestically and internationally. Also Read: Electric debacle: Tesla's troubles started before Musk wore the MAGA cap Musk attempted to involve himself in several European political issues—in Germany and the UK especially. In February, Time magazine portrayed Musk as 'President Musk." Its cover illustration showed him seated at the Resolute Desk in the White House. However, it is evident that Musk has now drifted to the margins of Trump's world. 'Elon is from South Africa—I don't want to get Elon involved," Trump told his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, during a discussion at the White House recently. On 19 May, an analysis titled 'Why has Elon Musk vanished from the spotlight?' was published by Politico, which noted that Trump was posting messages about Musk on his Truth Social platform at an average of four times a week in February and March, but stopped doing so in April. Musk was included in nearly daily fund-raising emails sent by Trump's campaign team. However, save for a single email in May, this abruptly stopped in early March. Trump's top advisors and official White House accounts also stopped posting photos and content mentioning Musk. Musk, whose business empire includes Tesla, SpaceX and X, seemed to have got the drift. Amid mounting investor worries, he announced a major reduction in political spending. This was a public indication of the billionaire turning his focus back to his businesses. Also Read: Tesla's slump: When social intelligence clashes with artificial intelligence The main source of Musk's fortune, Tesla, has lost sales globally and suffered severe brand damage as a result of his political activities. His expressions of support for the far-right anti-immigration AfD party in Germany, for example, were noted across Europe. Tesla's sales in Europe dropped 49% in April, indicating a backlash against him. Towards the end of that month, Tesla reported a 71% dip in profits. In a call with Tesla investors, Musk said that he would begin stepping back from his position at DOGE in May. In the US and abroad, Tesla dealerships have been the target of protests and vandalism. Musk's move to impose harsh employment and spending cuts within the federal government on behalf of the Trump administration was dubbed 'one of the greatest brand destructions" ever by Scott Galloway, professor of marketing at New York University's Stern School of Business. According to some surveys, most respondents disapproved of the way Musk and DOGE have handled federal government employees and slashed jobs. About 60% of respondents in a nationwide study conducted by Marquette University Law School last month had a negative opinion of Musk, while 38% had a positive opinion. The study found approval of Musk's DOGE handling at 41% and disapproval at 58%. Also Read: The US should stay away from gimmicks and tackle its real fiscal problem Musk may have recently met his political Waterloo in Wisconsin, where he contributed at least $3 million to making the Wisconsin Supreme Court campaign the most costly in US history. He even personally appeared in Green Bay sporting a cheese-head cap, a favourite among supporters of the Green Bay Packers, an American football team. But the Republican candidate he backed lost by a 10% margin. The Democrats mobilized people by calling it a 'People versus Musk' contest to highlight his intervention. Frankly, Musk's accountability has been non-existent, his loyalties seem inconsistent and his political intentions unclear. Trump might be well aware of this. Musk stood for six hours to shake hands with Democrat Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign. In 2014, Musk described himself as 'somewhere in the middle, fiscally conservative and socially liberal." He even advocated that Trump 'hang up his hat and sail into sunset" in 2022, arguing that he was too old to seek re-election. But then he started to tilt Republican. Also Read: A trade arrangement that leaves out the US could trump Trump's tariffs Thus, it was perhaps inevitable that Trump would grow weary of Musk. Since the president is accustomed to generating all his popularity himself, it would be easy for him to assume he needs nobody's help on that count. Then there is also the matter of Musk's unpopularity, which Trump may not want rubbing off on his own standing. However, Musk will still hold billions of dollars once Trump's term is over, not to mention the power of his social media platform. In the political sphere, his legacy may be a handy list of what the ultra-rich should do and not do. Or maybe he has left America's business class a model that no one else would dare imitate. The author is professor of statistics at Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata.