Now an examination of spending records shows that in October 2021 $24,000 (£19,000) of US taxpayer's money was given to the Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT) in Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, to "nurture and encourage equality, inclusion and diversity in storytelling, by facilitating self-generated narratives from diverse community groups through the medium of film".
Earlier this month the Trump administration described a separate grant of $70,000 (£56,000) for a "DEI musical" in Ireland as "crap" that US taxpayer money was "wasted on", as it continues to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) agency.
Two weeks ago, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt listed a series of "insane priorities" that USAID had funded, including $1.5m (£1.2m) for improving diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in Serbian workplaces, $47,000 (£37,000) for a "transgender opera" in Colombia and a $70,000 (£56,000) grant for the production of a "DEI musical in Ireland".
The US State Department spent $24,000 (£19,000) to fund an Irish college's film project promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
The college confirmed to Sky News that it had received the money, which along with Screen Skills Ireland funding, was used to create four short documentaries "by four separate marginalised communities".
