FACT CHECK: Claim That Malia Obama Received $2.2. Million In Funds From USAID Is Satire
A viral image shared on Instagram claims Malia Obama purportedly received $2.2 million in funds from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
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Verdict: False
The claim is false and originally stems from a Feb. 9 post shared by a satirical Facebook page.
Fact Check:
Obama did not use her last name for her director’s credit on her short film, “The Heart,” The Hill reported back in October. Obama said she wanted people to watch the film “without any association with her family,” according to the outlet.
The Instagram image, which has amassed over 40,000 likes as of writing, claims Obama purportedly received $2.2 million in funds from the USAID.
“Can someone explain why Malia Obama received $2.2 million in funds from USAID?,” text that appears on the image reads. “Enquiring [sic], taxpaying minds want to know,” the text continues.
The claim is false and originally stems from a Feb. 9 post shared by “America’s Last Line of Defense,” which is a satirical Facebook page. “The flagship of the ALLOD network of trollery and propaganda for cash. Nothing on this page is real,” the page’s “Intro” section of its profile reads.
Likewise, neither former President Barack Obama nor his wife, former First Lady Michelle Obama, appear to have publicly commented on the claim involving their eldest daughter. President Donald Trump has not mentioned the claim, either.
In addition, Check Your Fact did not find any credible news reports to support the claim. Actually, the opposite is true. Both USA Today and Snopes debunked the claim. According to Snopes, there is no record of USAID “designating any grants, contracts or other money to [Malia Obama].”
“The only two records mentioning her name pertained to Secret Service protection for travel in 2016, during the final year of her father’s second term in the White House,” the outlet reported. (RELATED: No, Feds Did Not Arrest Judge Overseeing DOGE Lawsuits)
Check Your Fact contacted Former President Barack Obama’s office about the claim, and a spokesperson declined to comment on record.
