It was a clear encapsulation of the US president’s approach to sub-Saharan Africa in his second term, in which human rights and democracy promotion have been de-emphasized in favor of a stated focus on trade and ending wars – though how that squares with the nascent air campaign in Nigeria remains to be seen. ‘Trade, not aid,’ a slogan we’ve seen thrown around for years, is now truly our policy for Africa”. In a statement, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said Trump “has treated Africa not as a charity case, but as a powerhouse partner. Trump’s visa restrictions against African nations and coarse language towards its people “will accelerate trends that were already there in terms of young people increasingly looking to the east for opportunities, particularly for higher education”, Mutiga warns. Trump’s dispute with South Africa appears to have been influenced by his erstwhile ally Elon Musk, who was born there and has alleged that the white Afrikaner minority is being persecuted.

Source: The Guardian December 31, 2025 23:31 UTC