Bangladesh Dismisses Trump’s Claim, Sees No Strain in US Ties

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Tuesday dismissed concerns about any negative effects on US-Bangladesh relations after Dhaka refuted claims made by US President Donald Trump.

"I see no reason for our relations with the United States to deteriorate," Hossain told reporters when asked about Bangladesh’s response to Trump's statement.

On Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) denied Trump’s assertion that USAID had provided $29 million to a firm owned by two individuals in Bangladesh, stating that the claim was incorrect.

Hossain clarified that Trump did not directly accuse anyone. He added,

While no formal investigation was conducted, authorities sought to understand the situation. According to Hossain, the funds in question were allocated to an American organization working with various NGOs in Bangladesh, and all transactions followed proper procedures.

"The claim that $29 million was handed to two individuals is simply not true," he emphasized.

When asked whether Trump's comments were provocative, Hossain dismissed the notion. "I don't see this as a provocative remark," he said, adding that there was no need to amplify the issue.

Regarding Bangladesh's use of the term "untrue" in its official statement, Hossain explained, "Since we found no evidence of the claim, it was appropriate to state that it was incorrect."

The MoFA reiterated that such development projects operate under the Development Objective Assistance Agreement (DOAG) between Bangladesh and the US, ensuring that decisions are made without individual influence.

Trump made his claims during the White House Governors Working Session on February 20, alleging that USAID had provided $29 million to an obscure firm with just two employees. "Two people! They're very happy. Very rich. They'll be on the cover of a top business magazine—for being great scammers," Trump said.

The following day, he repeated the allegation, suggesting that USAID had funneled the funds to support a "radical left communist" in Bangladesh.

However, during Trump’s first term, USAID selected Democracy International (DI)—a US-registered organization—to implement the project after a competitive bidding process.

Initially, the Strengthening Political Landscape (SPL) project was allocated a five-year budget of $14 million, overseen by USAID and co-funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) (now FCDO), which contributed $10 million.