Sky News is facing criticism from supporters of President Trump after publishing an article connecting the severe impact of the recent earthquake and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar to the actions of President Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The source of the controversy stems from a 1,200-word report authored by International Affairs Editor Dominic Waghorn. In the article, Waghorn discusses how the decision by the US government, under President Trump’s leadership, to dismantle USAID has exacerbated the consequences of the disaster in Myanmar.
‘The earthquake in Myanmar is one of the first major calamities to bear the brunt of the budget cuts to USAID initiated by Donald Trump,’ Waghorn stated, highlighting the administration’s polarizing move to shut down America’s primary international aid organization as a significant factor in the extent of the tragedy.
Critics denounced the analysis as an overtly politicized leap in the wake of the tragedy, with many accusing the network of exploiting a moment of grief to score ideological points.
At least 1,000 people are confirmed dead and many more are still buried beneath rubble after the powerful earthquake struck near Mandalay on Friday, collapsing infrastructure across northern Myanmar and sending tremors as far as Bangkok.
The Southeast Asian nation, already gripped by civil war and governed by a repressive military junta has found itself dependent on international goodwill for relief and recovery.
But before rescue efforts could even ramp up, Sky News published 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,’ Sky’s Waghorn wrote.
Sky News is coming under fire from Trump supporters after the news network published a column linking the devastation caused by Myanmar’s catastrophic earthquake and humanitarian crisis to President Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)
At least 1,000 people are confirmed dead and many more are still buried beneath rubble after the powerful earthquake struck near Mandalay on Friday
President Donald Trump waves as he arrives in West Palm Beach, Florida on Friday
‘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 damage, the chaotic state of Myanmar’s politics, and the decimation of the US government’s foreign aid apparatus under DOGE, the newly created agency charged with eliminating government waste.
Though not mentioned by name in his piece, the DOGE-led effort to dissolve USAID has been met with legal resistance.
Just last week, a federal judge issued a scathing injunction: ‘The Court finds that Defendants’ actions taken to shut down USAID on an accelerated basis… likely violated the Constitution in multiple ways.’
Waghorn made the logical point that fewer American resources mean a weaker global disaster response with Myanmar tragically being the first to suffer under the new world order.
But for thousands online, the column served to rustle up outrage.
‘I detest Trump – and there are loads of things to criticise the cretinous orange felon for – but I fail to see how this is his – or America’s – responsibility,’ one user wrote.
Others were less diplomatic: ‘Rubbish. America was the first to offer help,’ stated another.
For many users online the column served to rustle up outrage
‘US taxpayers are expected to automatically foot the bills for disasters worldwide? Do you think this piece will influence assistance beyond Rubio’s commitment to aid?,’ tweeted one.
‘That’s insane and gaslighting,’ declared a fourth.
‘How is an earthquake Trump’s fault? Good grief. America doesn’t have to finance the entire world. When did that start?,’ wrote another exasperated user.
‘Wake up, Sky News. This is embarrassing.’
Stoking the anger was the perceived opportunism in Waghorn’s column.
The earthquake had only occurred mere hours before Sky’s analysis appeared online.
‘Pick your act up, Sky,’ another reader wrote. ‘A tragedy is not a thesis.’
Myanmar’s junta is now facing its own reckoning. General Min Aung Hlaing, the authoritarian leader who seized power in a bloody 2021 coup, was forced to issue rare pleas for international help breaking years of diplomatic isolation as the military’s grip on power continued to slip.
Infrastructure has collapsed across northern Myanmar following the 7.7 magnitude quake
Volunteers work at the site of a collapsed building after an earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar
Rubble lies near a building destroyed during a strong earthquake, in Mandalay, Myanmar
China is sending aid to the earthquake zone. Pictured, a worker carries boxes of instant noodles to be sent to Myanmar for earthquake relief in Ruili, southwest China’s Yunnan Province
Yunnan Province sent relief supplies to Myanmar on Saturday, after a massive earthquake jolted the Southeast Asian country on Friday
In this archive photo, a US Marine stands next to USAID supplies for Myanmar following a cyclone in 2008 that left an Estimated 100,000 People Dead
In his column, Waghorn noted the irony writing, ‘The disaster is so bad that Hlaing has broken his government’s self-imposed isolation to appeal for help from the outside world.’
Indeed, Myanmar’s state media confirmed on Saturday that the junta had made formal overtures to China, Russia, and India for urgent assistance.
But its own people remain deeply distrustful of the regime, and many international NGOs have been barred from operating freely inside the country.
Ironically, even before USAID’s closure, much of America’s humanitarian footprint in Myanmar had already been obstructed by military gatekeeping.
Despite the political uproar, Waghorn’s piece forces the US to address what role the country should play when responding to global disasters.
USAID, once the crown jewel of American soft power, had long been both praised and criticized for its omnipresence. But its abrupt shutdown under DOGE as left a void.
Some commenting online felt Trump was right to look after America’s interests first.
‘Why should the USA fund every crisis that happens?’ one user tweeted. ‘Why aren’t they putting away for a disaster fund in those risk-exposed countries? Stop relying on the begging bowl!’
