In Gaza, Mozambique, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is engaged in a health program that has received funding through the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID.

EGPAF reports on its website that there are approximately 2.2 million people living with HIV in Mozambique, including 150,000 children 14 years of age and younger.

Globally, USAID contributions to AIDS programs have been ongoing, and substantial. For instance, a $62-million, five-year project was launched during President Donald Trump’s first administration to provide AIDS/HIV services in Lesotho, Africa. Until now, such programs have proceeded with little controversy.

Then, on Jan. 28, Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, credited the president’s pause on foreign aid for thwarting a $50 million plan to fund condoms in Gaza.

Except she meant Gaza in the Middle East, bordering Israel, not Gaza, Mozambique.

As the maxim goes, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”

And so it went with the $50 million “condoms for Gaza” story.

On Fox News, political commentator and host Jesse Watters went so far as to suggest Hamas was making condom bombs. Watters wasn’t serious, possibly, but President Trump certainly was when he stated, “We identified and stopped $50 million being sent to Gaza to buy condoms for Hamas.”

News organizations went to work to debunk the outlandish claims, but there was no retreat by the White House.

Meanwhile, multi-billionaire Elon Musk, who heads Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, reposted on the social media platform he owns X a video of Leavitt’s assertion, adding: “Tip of iceberg.”

The truth did manage to get on its slippers when a reporter Feb. 11 asked Musk if the condoms were actually meant for Gaza in Mozambique, to protect against HIV. “How can we be sure that all the statements that you said were correct so we can trust what you say?” the reporter said to Musk. The DOGE chief, who was taking questions with Trump in the Oval Office, responded:

“Well, first of all, some of the things that I say will be incorrect and should be corrected. Nobody’s going to bat a thousand. We will make mistakes, but we’ll act quickly to correct any mistakes. I’m not sure we should be sending $50 million worth of condoms to anywhere, frankly. I’m not sure that’s something Americans would be really excited about. That is really an enormous number of condoms, if you think about it. But if it went to Mozambique instead of Gaza, I’m like, ‘OK, that’s not as bad, but still, why are we doing that?'”

Except we aren’t doing that.

USAID’s documented spending for the purchase of condoms worldwide in 2023 was $8 million, according to a Feb. 1 USA Today report. Musk might dispute that — anyone might dispute that — but that doesn’t make his earlier claims true.

The Trump administration has a website for briefings and statements. Good luck finding a clarification there about “condoms for Hamas.” Going forward it should be clear that correcting mistakes isn’t a high White House priority.

Under “Fact Sheets” on the White House site, you’ll find a Feb. 3 item titled, “At USAID, Waste and Abuse Runs Deep.” It has 12 examples of waste and abuse. Nearly all of it has been challenged as being inaccurate, in part because the funding source was actually the State Department. The Associated Press and other news organizations have pointed out that most of the spending has nothing to do with USAID, while some of it is mischaracterized.

None of which seems to worry the White House as it moves to shutter USAID.

“This waste of taxpayer dollars underscores why the president paused foreign aid on day one to ensure it aligns with American interests,” deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in response to an inquiry from the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, the AP has been punished by the administration because it declines to use “Gulf of America” in place of “Gulf of Mexico” in all of its copy. In recent days, the administration has blocked The Associated Press from traveling with President Trump on Air Force One and also from covering an Oval Office event.

The AP said in January it would continue to refer to the Gulf of Mexico while noting Trump’s decision to rename it as well. “As a global news agency that disseminates news around the world, the AP says it must ensure that place names and geography are easily recognizable to all audiences,” AP stated in an article Tuesday. It is considered international waters that has been known as the Gulf of Mexico for more than 400 years, the AP noted.

But Taylor Budowich, White House deputy chief of staff, said in a statement Friday the AP “continues to ignore the lawful geographic name change of the Gulf of America. This decision is not just divisive, but it also exposes The Associated Press’ commitment to misinformation.”

In the grand scheme, the Gulf of America commotion is a small skirmish in what may become a much larger information war. On one hand, Elon Musk says he won’t be perfect as DOGE prowls for waste and abuse and as lies are given a long leash on his social media platform. Admittedly, the AP also won’t bat a thousand, but the key difference is that it’s committed — as it should be — to meeting that goal.

Here’s a suggestion. When the AP comes up short in terms of accuracy, the White House should devote a portion of its Facts Sheets to correcting the misinformation. It can also take better care to avoid creating its own.