Wiles says 'no rational person' could support USAID after being 'initially aghast' at Musk's dissolution
In the Vanity Fair interviews, Susie Wiles revealed she was 'initially aghast' at Elon Musk's dissolution of USAID but ultimately concluded 'no rational person could think the USAID process was a good one. Nobody.' She explained: 'I was initially aghast. Because I think anybody that pays attention to government and has ever paid attention to USAID believed, as I did, that they do very good work.' The comment demonstrated Wiles' pattern of raising objections to administration decisions before falling in line and adopting the prevailing narrative. The assessment insulted career USAID officials and defenders of the agency's humanitarian work worldwide, characterizing anyone who believed in USAID's mission as irrational. The reversal from 'aghast' to 'no rational person could support it' exemplified the administration's approach to policy—initial resistance followed by complete capitulation and retroactive justification.
“But no rational person could think the USAID process was a good one. Nobody.” — Vanity Fair interview about Elon Musk's USAID dissolution, published December 16, 2025 Quote verified against source
Analysis Feed
AI commentaryWiles' journey from 'initially aghast' to declaring 'no rational person' could support USAID encapsulates the administration's decision-making pathology. She admits USAID does 'very good work,' then declares supporting it irrational. This cognitive dissonance—acknowledging effectiveness while condemning it—reveals how policy opposition is crushed internally. The insult to career officials and aid advocates ('no rational person') is particularly damaging coming from someone who just admitted she initially agreed with them.