“The Trump Effect” in U.S. Foreign Aid Policy: The end of Aid?

Year 2025, Issue: 86, 522 - 540, 25.10.2025

Yahya Gülseven

Abstract

Although its origins date back further, foreign aid became an important foreign policy instrument in the international order shaped under the leadership of the United States (US) after World War II. From the early years of the post-war period, the US brought foreign aid to the forefront as a fundamental element of diplomacy. With the establishment of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in 1961, aid activities directed toward developing countries were given an institutional structure.However, during the term of Donald Trump, the 45th President of the US, rhetoric and practices opposing foreign aid were adopted. This approach represented a sharp break from the policies of all previous administrations since the post-war era. In 2025, when Trump returned to office as the 47th President, he implemented significant cuts to foreign aid shortly after taking office. He also terminated the operations of USAID. This radical step was interpreted in political and academic circles as an indication that the US had abandoned foreign aid as a tool of foreign policy and withdrawn from the global aid architecture. This study aims to present a qualitative analysis examining the historical development of the US’s foreign aid policies, as the founding and largest donor of the global aid system. It focuses on the dynamics of change and continuity in both discourse and practice. In this context, it discusses the potential implications of the Trump administration’s decision to end foreign aid for both US foreign policy and the global aid system.

Keywords

United States Agency for International Development , China , Foreign aid , Donald J. Trump , Russia

ABD Dış Yardım Politikalarında “Trump Etkisi”: Dış Yardımın Sonu Mu?

Abstract

Kökenleri daha eskiye uzansa da, dış yardımlar İkinci Dünya Savaşı sonrasında Amerika Birleşik Devletleri (ABD) öncülüğünde şekillenen uluslararası düzende önemli bir dış politika aracına dönüşmüştür. ABD, savaş sonrası dönemin ilk yıllarından itibaren dış yardımı diplomasinin temel unsurlarından biri olarak öne çıkarmış; 1961 yılında Birleşik Devletler Uluslararası Kalkınma Ajansı’nın (United States Agency for International Development – USAID) kurulmasıyla birlikte, gelişmekte olan ülkelere yönelik yardım faaliyetlerini kurumsal bir yapıya kavuşturmuştur. Ancak ABD’nin 45. başkanı Donald Trump döneminde, dış yardıma karşı söylem ve uygulamalar benimsenmiş; bu yaklaşım, savaş sonrası dönemdeki tüm yönetimlerin politikalarından belirgin biçimde ayrılarak keskin bir kopuşu temsil etmiştir. 2025 yılında 47. başkan olarak ikinci kez göreve gelen Trump, göreve gelmesinin hemen ardından dış yardımlarda ciddi kesintilere gitmiş ve USAID’in faaliyetlerine son vermiştir. Bu radikal adım, siyasi ve akademik çevrelerde, ABD’nin dış yardımı bir dış politika aracı olarak terk ettiği ve küresel yardım mimarisinden geri çekildiği yönünde değerlendirilmiştir. Bu çalışma, küresel dış yardım sisteminin kurucusu ve en büyük donörü olan ABD’nin dış yardım politikalarının tarihsel gelişimini inceleyerek, söylem ve uygulamalardaki değişim ve sürekliliği ele alan nitel bir analiz sunmayı amaçlamaktadır. Bu çerçevede, Trump yönetiminin dış yardımları sonlandırma yönündeki kararının, hem ABD dış politikası hem de küresel yardım sistemi üzerindeki olası etkilerini tartışmaktadır.

Keywords

Birleşik Devletler Uluslararası Kalkınma Ajansı , Çin , Dış yardım , Donald J. Trump , Rusya

References

• Amuzegar, J. (1958). Point Four: Performance and prospect. Political Science Quarterly, 73(4), 530–546.
• Arezki, R., Camara, Y., Imam, P. A., & Kpodar, K. R. (2025). Foreign aid and conflicts: The effects of 9/11 on donor behavior (IMF Working Paper No. 2025/016). International Monetary Fund. https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP/Issues/2025/01/17/
• Berghahn, V. R. (2001). America and the intellectual Cold Wars in Europe: Shepard Stone between philanthropy, academy, and diplomacy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
• Brookings. (2025). What comes after a USAID shutdown? Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/what-comes-after-a-usaid-shutdown/
• Brown, N. M., & Akhtar, S. I. (2022). U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC): Overview. Congressional Research Service. https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R47006
• Carothers, T. (1999). Aiding democracy abroad: The learning curve. Washington, DC: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
• Center for Global Development. (2025). Analyzing USAID program disruptions: Implications for PEPFAR programming and beneficiaries. Center for Global Development. https://www.cgdev.org/publication/analyzing-usaid-program-disruptions-implications-pepfar-programming-and-beneficiaries
• Cleveland, H. (1959). The convalescence of foreign aid. The American Economic Review, 49(2), 214–231.
• Connable, B. (2013). Leveraging development aid to address root causes in counterinsurgency. RAND Corporation. https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/working_papers/WR900/WR983/RAND_WR983.pdf
• Ekbladh, D. (2010). The great American mission: Modernization and the construction of an American world order. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
• Engerman, D. C., Gilman, N., Haefele, M. H., & Latham, M. E. (Eds.). (2003). Staging growth: Modernization, development, and the global Cold War. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press.
• Epstein, S. B., Lawson, M. L., & Gill, C. R. (2018). Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs: FY2018 budget and appropriations. Congressional Research Service. https://sgp.fas.org/crs/row/R44890.pdf
• Epstein, K. (2025). Turmoil as Trump and Musk take aim at top US aid agency. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdjdmx12j9no
• European Training Foundation. (2025). Impact of USAID withdrawal on global education and skills development. ETF. https://www.etf.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/publications/impact-usaid-withdrawal-global-education-and-skills
• Fleisher, G. (2025). Foreign aid is unpopular. Wake Up To Politics. https://www.wakeuptopolitics.com/p/foreign-aid-is-unpopular
• Gilpin, R. (1987). The political economy of international relations. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
• Harter, F. (2025). ‘The impact has been devastating’: How USAID freeze sent shockwaves through Ethiopia. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/ng-interactive/2025/feb/21/the-impact-has-been-devastating-how-usaid-freeze-sent-shockwaves-through-ethiopia
• Hattori, T. (2003). The moral politics of foreign aid. Review of International Studies, 29(2), 229–247.
• Helleiner, E. (2014). Forgotten foundations of Bretton Woods: International development and the making of the postwar order. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
• Hidalgo, A. (2025). I’m a humanitarian aid worker. Here’s what gutting USAID will do. The Seattle Times. https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/im-a-humanitarian-aid-worker-heres-what-gutting-usaid-will-do/
• Hill, C. (2024). Trump vs Biden: The aid dimension. Devpolicy Blog. https://devpolicy.org/trump-vs-biden-the-aid-dimension-20240617/
• Holm, M. (2016). The Marshall Plan: A new deal for Europe. New York, NY: Routledge.
• Ingram, G. C. (2017). Institutional architecture of U.S. foreign aid. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/global-20170731-blum-georgeingram-brief-31.pdf
• Ingram, G. (2018). How the BUILD Act advances development. Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-the-build-act-advances-development/
• Keohane, R. O. (1984). After hegemony: Cooperation and discord in the world political economy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
• Kim, T. J. (2025). Soft power, strong impact: The enduring alliance between USAID and the U.S. military. Small Wars Journal. https://smallwarsjournal.com/2025/05/08/soft-power-strong-impact-the-enduring-alliance-between-usaid-and-the-us-military/
• Lancaster, C. (2007). Foreign aid: Diplomacy, development and domestic politics. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
• Latham, M. E. (2006). Redirecting the revolution? The USA and the failure of nation-building in South Vietnam. Third World Quarterly, 27(1), 27–41.
• Latham, M. E. (2011). The right kind of revolution: Modernization, development, and U.S. foreign policy from the Cold War to the present. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
• Layne, C. (2006). The peace of illusions: American grand strategy from 1940 to the present. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
• Li, C. (2016). Assessing U.S.-China relations under the Obama administration. Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/assessing-u-s-china-relations-under-the-obama-administration/
• Macekura, S. (2013). The Point Four Program and U.S. international development policy. Political Science Quarterly, 128(1), 127–160.
• Mateo, L. R. (2024). America First: Foreign aid in the Trump administration. Contexto Internacional. https://www.scielo.br/j/cint/a/mNM8YRZqjqSCfwRrnc5dMJz/?format=pdf&lang=en
• MacDonald, M. (2025). Kaine urges halt to USAID shutdown, citing national security risks. WAVY. https://www.wavy.com/news/virginia/kaine-37-senators-urge-halt-to-usaid-shutdown-citing-national-security-risks/
• McGuire, C. (1952). Point Four and the national power of the USA. American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 11(3), 343–356.
• Meltzer, J. P. (2011). The Trans-Pacific Partnership — Its economic and strategic implications. Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-trans-pacific-partnership-its-economic-and-strategic-implications/
• Milner, H. V., & Tingley, D. (2010). The political economy of U.S. foreign aid: American legislators and the domestic politics of aid. Economics & Politics, 22(2), 200–232.
• Mohammed, A. (2017). Trump plans 28 percent cut in budget for diplomacy, foreign aid. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/world/trump-plans-28-percent-cut-in-budget-for-diplomacy-foreign-aid-idUSKBN16N0DN
• Morgenstern, E. M., Brown, N. M., Blanchfield, L., Akhtar, S. I., Cook, N., Lum, T., & Meyer, P. J. (2021). Selected Trump administration foreign aid priorities: A wrap-up (CRS Report No. R46656). Congressional Research Service. https://sgp.fas.org/crs/row/R46656.pdf
• Nye, J. S., Jr. (1990). Soft power. Foreign Policy, 80, 153–171.
• Omar, N. (2025). How Trump’s cuts to USAID are already harming the world’s worst off. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/21/first-edition-usaid-cuts-global-development
• Patrick, S., & Brown, K. (2007). Greater than the sum of its parts? Assessing "whole of government" approaches to fragile states. Center for Global Development. https://www.cgdev.org/publication/9780937722985-greater-sum-its-parts-assessing-whole-government-approaches-fragile-states
• Patrick, S. (2025). Trump’s move to gut USAID reveals the crux of his foreign policy. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. https://carnegieendowment.org/emissary/2025/02/usaid-trump-foreign-aid-policy-why?lang=en
• Pilling, D. (2025). Bill Gates accuses Elon Musk of ‘killing’ children with USAID cuts. Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/bdd9bb89-ac3c-4043-9ca4-bc7efbd41fed
• Quinn, B. (2016). Will Trump honour pledge to 'stop sending aid to countries that hate us'? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/nov/13/will-trump-presidency-honour-pledge-stop-sending-foreign-aid-to-countries-that-hate-us-usaid
• Reagan, R. (1985). Statement on signing the International Security and Development Cooperation Act of 1985. Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/statement-signing-international-security-and-development-cooperation-act-1985
• Reuters. (2025). More USAID staff ousted after Trump administration dismantles aid agency. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/more-usaid-staff-ousted-trump-administration-dismantles-aid-agency-2025-02-02/
• Robson, L. (2025). The end of aid: USAID’s work was always self-serving. The Baffler. https://thebaffler.com/latest/the-end-of-aid-robson
• Rubio, M. (2025). Secretary of State Marco Rubio before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on the FY26 Department of State Budget Request. United States Department of State. https://www.state.gov/secretary-of-state-marco-rubio-before-the-senate-committee-on-foreign-relations-on-the-fy26-department-of-state-budget-request/
• Runde, D. F. (2021). Enabling a better offer: How does the West counter China’s Belt and Road? Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). https://www.csis.org/analysis/enabling-better-offer-how-does-west-counter-belt-and-road
• Ruth, C. (2025). Back to basics: Neoliberal development at USAID in the Cold War. Diplomatic History. https://academic.oup.com/dh/advance-article/doi/10.1093/dh/dhaf021/8093425
• Sartorius, R. H., & Ruttan, V. W. (1988). The sources of the basic human needs mandate. Economic Development Center. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/7062024.pdf
• Seddon, S. (2025). What is USAID and why is Trump poised to 'close it down'? BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyezjwnx5ko
• Singman, B. (2022). House Armed Services Republicans urge Biden to increase 2023 defense budget amid 'unprecedented threats'. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-republicans-biden-increase-2023-defense-budget
• Spear, J. (2016). The militarization of United States foreign aid. In S. Brown & J. Grävingholt (Eds.), The securitization of foreign aid (pp. 18–41). London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
• The White House. (2002). The National Security Strategy of the United States of America. https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/nsc/nss/2002/
• The White House. (2006). The National Security Strategy of the United States of America. https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/nsc/nss/2006/
• The White House. (2025). Reevaluating and realigning United States foreign aid. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/reevaluating-and-realigning-united-states-foreign-aid/
• Thorbecke, E. (2000). The evolution of the development doctrine and the role of foreign aid, 1950–2000. In F. Tarp & P. Hjertholm (Eds.), Foreign aid and development: Lessons learnt and directions for the future (pp. 17–47). London, UK: Routledge.
• Trump, D. J. (2018a). Remarks by President Trump to the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly. The White House. https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-73rd-session-united-nations-general-assembly-new-york-ny/
• Trump, D. J. (2018b). Remarks by President Trump in State of the Union Address. The White House. https://2017-2021.state.gov/president-trumps-state-of-the-union-address
• UN Women. (2025). At a breaking point: The impact of foreign aid cuts on women’s organizations in humanitarian crises worldwide. UN Women. https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2025/05/at-a-breaking-point-the-impact-of-foreign-aid-cuts-on-womens-organizations-in-humanitarian-crises-worldwide
• USAID. (2023). Top management challenges facing USAID in fiscal year 2023. Office of Inspector General. https://oig.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2022-11/Top%20Management%20Challenges%20Facing%20USAID%20in%20FY%202023.pdf
• Ursu, S. (2022). A brief history of USAID. DevelopmentAid. https://www.developmentaid.org/news-stream/post/152125/a-brief-history-of-usaid
• Usman, Z. (2025). The end of the global aid industry: USAID’s demise is an opportunity to prioritize industrialization over charity. Foreign Affairs. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/end-global-aid-industry
• Van Bilzen, G. (2015). The development of aid. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
• Van der Pijl, K. (2006). Global rivalries from the Cold War to Iraq. London, UK: Pluto Press.
• Van Rooyen, M. (2025). Pullback from USAID raises big questions for global health, security. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/pullback-from-usaid-raises-big-questions-for-global-health-security
• Wedel, J. R. (2001). Collision and collusion: The strange case of Western aid to Eastern Europe, 1989–1998. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Westad, O. A. (2005). The global Cold War: Third World interventions and the making of our times. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
• Wood, R. E. (1986). From Marshall plan to debt crisis: Foreign aid and development choices in the world economy. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.