own goal: (in soccer) a goal scored inadvertently when the ball is struck into the goal by a player on the defensive team.
I like Elon Musk's efforts vis-a-vis DOGE but damn if he doesn't set off a landmine or two in the process... Elon Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency” has been accused of setting off a political firestorm in India after it claimed that the US government had been sending millions of dollars to support the Indian elections.
In a list published on Musk’s social media platform X last week, Doge, a special group that Donald Trump created, claimed that a $21m grant distributed by USAid – the US agency for international development – to help “voter turnout in India” had been cancelled, as part of the president’s sweeping cuts to foreign aid.
However, records accessed by the Indian Express newspaper have found that no such funds were ever distributed in India and USAid staff have also denied the existence of such a programme. (The Guardian)
TL/DR: USAid supposedly gave millions to the Indian government when in reality the funds mentioned went to Bangladesh to support political engagement between them and the United States. A mistake to be sure; the own goal part is that this (a) gives Democrats a chance to attack Musk's efforts (and by extension Trump) and (b) allows China to crow about America's "wrecking ball" approach to international relations (something they can seize upon in the IndoPac region).
Like I said, an own goal that needeth' not to happen...
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