Major media outlet slammed for linking Trump and DOGE to Myanmar quake crisis: ‘USA isn’t a piggy bank’

WASHINGTON, DC: Sky News is catching serious heat from Trump supporters after publishing a column that directly ties the devastation of Myanmar’s catastrophic earthquake and humanitarian crisis to President Donald Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

At the center of the backlash is a 1,200-word analysis by Sky’s International Affairs Editor, Dominic Waghorn. His commentary argues that the US government’s decision to dismantle USAID under Trump has only made the fallout from this disaster worse.

“The Myanmar quake is the first major disaster to suffer the brunt of Donald Trump's USAID cuts,” Waghorn wrote, insisting that the Trump administration’s decision to shut down America’s international aid agency is a contributing factor to the scale of the suffering.

Devastation in Myanmar

The numbers are grim. At least 1,000 people are confirmed dead, and many more remain trapped beneath the rubble after the powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck near Mandalay on Friday, March 28.

Buildings crumbled, infrastructure collapsed, and the shockwaves were so intense they were felt as far as Bangkok, the Daily Mail reported.

Myanmar—already in the grips of civil war and controlled by a ruthless military junta—is now scrambling for international help to deal with the crisis. But just as global rescue efforts were getting underway, Sky News dropped its “analysis” piece.

"This will be the first natural disaster to happen after President Donald Trump shut down America's international aid agency with potentially devastating consequences," Waghorn wrote. "Yesterday, Trump promised Myanmar aid for the earthquake. In reality, his administration has fired most of the people most experienced at organizing that help and shut down the means to provide it."

He cited the scale of the destruction, the political chaos in Myanmar, and the dismantling of America’s foreign aid infrastructure under DOGE, the agency Trump created to slash government spending.

While Waghorn didn’t explicitly mention it, Trump’s push to dissolve USAID has been facing legal challenges. Just last week, a federal judge issued an injunction against the move.

“The Court finds that Defendants' actions taken to shut down USAID on an accelerated basis… likely violated the Constitution in multiple ways," they said.

Waghorn argued that with fewer American resources, the global response to disasters like this will be weaker—making Myanmar the first country to feel the consequences of Trump’s cuts.

Donald Trump's supporters clap back

Thousands of Trump supporters took to social media to blast the Sky News column as ridiculous, out-of-touch, and straight-up propaganda.

"This is a horrible thing to have happened but WHY the hell is it our money that is expected to fix it??? This has nothing to do with Trump at all f**k off," one posted on X.

"Imagine writing something this stupid," a second user chimed in.

"Are you insane? Do you think American taxpayers want their dollars going to a military junta on the other side of the world that has never done one thing for us ever?" another asked.

"What does an earthquake have to do with Trump? Pathetic," someone else fumed.

"Oh so @POTUS causes natural disasters now? Morons the lot," read a comment.

"The USA isn't a piggy bank. Elon Musk donated Starlink, what did other affluent philanthropists contribute?" another offered.

Myanmar’s junta pleads for help

Meanwhile, Myanmar’s military rulers are dealing with their own reckoning. General Min Aung Hlaing, the strongman who seized power in a bloody coup in 2021, has been forced to do something he’s actively avoided for years: ask for international help.

Waghorn didn’t miss the irony, pointing out in his column: "The disaster is so bad that Hlaing has broken his government's self-imposed isolation to appeal for help from the outside world."

Myanmar’s state-controlled media confirmed on Saturday that the junta has formally reached out to China, Russia, and India for urgent assistance.

But even with the government pleading for help, the situation inside the country remains tense. Many international NGOs have been blocked from operating freely, and the people of Myanmar remain deeply distrustful of the military regime.

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