The Daily Signal - Victor Davis Hanson: Trump Clears House at Leftist ‘Rogue Operation,’ USAID

Episode Date: February 6, 2025

“If you live by executive order, you can be canceled by executive order,” says Victor Davis Hanson on this edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words,” when talking about the Trump administration’s decision to restructure the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), originally created by President John F. Kennedy via executive order in 1961. “It's been released that they were subsidizing everything from trans festivities overseas to gay comic books. But what was very interesting was there was a $40 million-plus grant to the Wuhan virology lab and channeled, apparently, through EcoHealth, Peter Daszak’s organization. This is important because under testimony, we were under the impression that Anthony Fauci only had his hands on $600,000.”  “At the very time the Democratic Party is polling, according to Quinnipiac—a very liberal polling organization—just 31% approval, a historical low—they all know what they have to do. And that is move to the center. But Donald Trump has moved so fast, and in so many untraditional ways, that their natural hysteria has overcome their sense of reality.”  For Victor’s latest thoughts, go to: https://victorhanson.com/ Don’t miss out on Victor’s latest videos by subscribing to The Daily Signal today.  You’ll be notified every time a new piece of content drops: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHqkXbgqrDrDVInBMSoGQgQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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We'd love to talk. Business. Remember, Donald Trump, almost by Fiat, has said that the USAID should be canceled. It's been released that they were subsidizing everything. But what was very interesting was there was a $40 million-plus grant to the Wuhan biology lab and channeled apparently through Echo Health, Peter Dasick's organization. Some of that money was hidden and packed with this rogue organization, USAID. This is important because under testimony, we were under the impression that Anthony Fauci only had his hands on 600,000.

Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for the Daily Signal. I'd like to talk about this frenzied activity of Donald Trump's and the reaction that the Democrats are exhibited. Remember, Donald Trump almost by fiat, has said that the USAID should be canceled. He sent Elon Musk in. It has this huge $50 billion budget. It's been released that they were subsidizing everything from trans festivities overseas to gay comic books.

But what was very interesting was there was a $40 million-plus grant to the Wuhan biology lab and channeled apparently through Echo Health. Peter Dasick's organization. This is important because under testimony, we were under the impression that Anthony Fauci only had his hands on 600,000. In addition to the instrumentation that was allowed to be used by Wuhan from American sources and the expertise that was transmitted, we were said, well, there was some money and maybe it was against the law in the United States, but it was a third party, but it didn't make any difference. This was a multi-million dollar project. But now we learn that it did make a difference because some of that money was hidden and packed with this rogue organization,

USAID. And the Democrats went crazy about the very mention that it should be cut out. It was Samantha Power around it. It's just an autonomous agency that was created by executive order. So if you live by executive order, you can be canceled by executive order. We don't know whether Trump will cancel the entire rogue operation, but probably tuck it under Marco Rubio's State Department. But here's the thing. He is doing so many things so quickly that the left is entirely off guard. We've had these seven or eight countries, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Canada, again on the same issues about the border as Mexico and remittances and drugs and surpluses in the EU and China that nobody can catch their breath. And then we've had these confirmation hearings where we have these unorthodox and new

faces that's driving the left crazy. And one of the results of Donald Trump doing so much, so quickly on draining the swamp and making untraditional appointments and trying to readdress, open borders and fentanyl and Greenland and Panama is that the opposition is in complete disarray. And we can see that by their hysterical reactions. As we've talked about in this video series before, Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders are screaming, they're yelling, they're making fools of themselves. We saw a clip from the Democratic National Convention. elections where there were all these bizarre Orwellian sermons about you had to be a particular

gender or trans person to be inclusive and that would override votes for their own chairmanship. Then we saw David Hogg become the next, the assistant chairman and he's got a long tweeting record about outlawing guns and saying the NRA is a terrorist organization. What am I getting at? At the very time the Democratic Party is polling, according to Kwynopac, a very liberal polling organization, just 31% approval, historical low. They all know what they have to do, and that has moved to the center. But Donald Trump has moved so fast and in so many untradictional ways that their natural hysteria has overcome their sense of reality. So in addition to keeping them off, guard. He's almost forcing them to implode. So the question is now people are saying, well, Donald Trump, slow down. No, no, no, do not slow down. You might want to get another group of your supporters in the administration that follow up. Your George Patton, it's August 1st, third army has been activated, and you are going full blast to the Rhine River, and you're not

going to stop. Remember what Patton said, La Das, Tuja, La Adai, Duzure La, La, Adas. Adasity, always audacity, more audacity, encore Adas. And you cannot stop. You've got them completely in disarray. They're floundering. They're screaming. And then other people can follow up like Marco Rubio did in brilliant fashion in Panama. So Donald Trump is the Shot Corps. He is the Third Armour Division that's got the enemy completely disorganized. And then behind him comes the infantry, and they consolidate and institutionalize the accords that he's made. So the next group of people will go down to Mexico and they'll get things institutionalized.

They'll go to Panama. They'll talk to Denmark. They'll do the mechanics of getting aid. But Donald Trump's the tip of the spear. And the more audacious, the more ambitious. and the more rapidly in this brief window of four years, he can dismantle this administrative state and bring us back to common sense,

the less opposition. They are trying to suggest to you if he'll slow down, we're going to make him slow down, and we're organizing against him. They're not organizing. They're completely in disarray, and they're doing exactly what they should not do if they want to climb back from 31% up to 50% or 60% approval,

the Democratic Party. My advice to Donald Trump is pedal to the metal, audacity, audacity, audacity, and keep on going. This is Victor Davis-Hansson for The Daily Signal. Thank you for watching today's podcast. And for more news like that, subscribe to the Daily Signal. Maybe you can check out my own website at victorhansen.com for podcast, lectures, ultra-series behind a paywall, but more importantly, just daily columns that are accessible and free to everyone. Thank you very much.