President Donald Trump recently claimed that his administration had intercepted $50 million worth of “bomb-making” condoms destined for the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. The assertion, part of a broader effort led by billionaire Elon Musk to combat waste and fraud in federally funded programs, has since been met with widespread confusion and scrutiny.
Trump did not provide evidence to support his claim, which has raised questions about the accuracy of his statement. Subsequent investigations revealed that the contraceptive shipments were likely intended for Mozambique, not Gaza. A province in Mozambique shares the same name, and USAID funds extensive HIV prevention programs there, explaining the large-scale condom distribution.
On Tuesday, reporters at the White House pressed Musk about the mix-up and whether he would correct his previous statements. Addressing the controversy, Musk acknowledged the possibility of mistakes in his campaign against government waste.
“Well, first of all, some of the things that I say will be incorrect and should be corrected. So nobody’s going to bat a thousand. We will make mistakes, but we’ll act quickly to correct any mistakes,” Musk said.
However, he remained skeptical about the scale of the aid package, regardless of the intended destination. “I’m not sure we should be sending $50 million worth of condoms to anywhere, frankly. I’m not sure that’s something Americans would be really excited about. That is really an enormous number of condoms, if you think about it. If it went to Mozambique instead of Gaza, I’m like, ‘Okay, that’s not as bad, but still, why are we doing that?’”
The confusion over the condom shipments highlights broader concerns about misinformation in international aid discussions and the challenges of accurately tracking US-funded programs abroad.
