Fact Checking Trump: $50,000,000? That's a Lot of Condoms For Hamas

No evidence that $50 million was designated by the US to buy condoms for Hamas / AP News

By MELISSA GOLDIN Updated 10:02 PM EST, January 29, 2025

President Donald Trump claimed that his administration had “identified and stopped $50 million being sent to Gaza to buy condoms for Hamas.”

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, made a similar claim on Tuesday during her debut press briefing, stating that the Department of Government Efficiency and the Office of Management and Budget “found that there was about to be 50 million taxpayer dollars that went out the door to fund condoms in Gaza.” She called the alleged aid “a preposterous waste of taxpayer money.” But there’s no credible evidence to support these claims.

Here’s a closer look at the facts:

CLAIM: The Trump administration stopped $50 million from being sent to the Gaza Strip to buy condoms for Hamas.

THE FACTS: Trump and his spokesperson appeared to be referring to a grant or grants that USAID awarded to a group called the International Medical Corps worth $102.2 million to provide medical and trauma services in Gaza. The State Department earlier Wednesday described this as an example of “egregious funding” not aligned with American interests or the president’s policies.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce similarly wrote Tuesday on X that the agency had “prevented $102 million in unjustified funding to a contractor in Gaza, including money for contraception” thanks to a pause in foreign assistance.

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