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