Yes the dismantling of USAID is about destroying any soft power the US has in the world. And yes it plays to the interests of Putin and Xi, and it feeds Musk's grandiosity and Trump's need for cruelty

But it's also a humiliation that's practically custom-designed for Rubio. It's the equivalent of Trump telling Rubio (once USAID's biggest champion) to shoot the family dog and thank him for the opportunity

The debasement is just beginning and his entire cabinet will have a turn in the barrel