Trump WH falsely claimed USAID funded 'transgender comic book' in Peru
Karoline Leavitt, U.S. President Donald Trump's White House press secretary, promoted this false claim in the early days of Trump's second term.
Jordan Liles
Published Feb. 12, 2025
Claim:
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) provided a grant of $32,000 for a "transgender comic book" in Peru.
After Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) announced its intention to shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in early February 2025, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed the agency provided a $32,000 grant to help fund a "transgender comic book" in Peru. The first prominent person to spread the claim had been Florida Republican Rep. Brian Mast, in January.
The claim was false. The U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic and Consular Programs — not USAID — did provide a $32,000 grant covering 2022 and 2023 that helped, either in part or in whole, fund the second of three issues of a Peruvian comic book series about a band of superheroes, titled "El Poder de La Educación" ("The Power of Education" ). The U.S. Embassy in Peru presented the comic book series in connection with a student cultural exchange program between the U.S. and Peru.
Though that issue of the comic book did feature a gay protagonist named Alex, no transgender characters appeared in that or either of the two other issues of the comic book. A White House official responded to an email query from Snopes by sending a document promoting the false claim.
A rumor circulating online in February 2025 said the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) — a foreign assistance government agency targeted for cuts or dismantling in the early weeks of U.S. President Donald Trump's second administration — provided a grant of $32,000 to help fund a "transgender comic book" in Peru. Numerous Snopes readers emailed specifically about this specific rumor, each of them asking if it was true.
More:
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/transgender-comic-book-peru/
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