Africa in new Trump era

Africa was missing on the radar last Monday as President Donald Trump took the oath of office that heralded his return to the White House. Neither in his guest list nor in his inaugural speech and other speeches shortly after did the continent get any attention. It is only hoped he would come round to picking interest in the axis after he settles into office for his second term.

Trump broke with tradition for his re-investiture to the United States presidency by opting for a coronation-style event. Presidential inaugurations in the US used to be a domestic affair: the president and vice-president took their oaths with American officials, past presidents and other local dignitaries present on the steps of the US Capitol building. The public watched from surrounding grounds. Inaugural speeches were typically saved for when the presidents arrived in the White House. But the event last Monday featured on-site inauguration address and was an international affair witnessed by foreign dignitaries invited by the incoming president.

Before now, foreign leaders usually did not attend US presidential inaugurations; rather, diplomats such as country ambassadors to America or foreign ministers acted as representatives. For his inauguration, however, Trump invited close to a dozen world leaders – most of them conservative and right wing. Not all were America’s friends, though, because he also invited few rivals. A notable rival-invitee was Chinese President Xi Jinping, who when served the invitation last December made clear he would not personally attend but would rather be represented.

Other invitees included Argentinian President Javier Milei, a far-right politician and friend of Trump who the American leader once hailed as someone who could “make Argentina great again” – an obvious reprise of his own mantra, “Make America Great Again (MAGA).” Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of the far-right Brothers of Italy party was invited; and so was Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a populist politician and close Trump ally who, however, didn’t make the inauguration. Neither did former Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right politician nicknamed ‘Trump of the Tropics,’ who although was invited could not attend because he is banned from travelling out of his country, with his passport confiscated by Brazil’s supreme court amid his investigation for alleged attempts to overturn results of the 2022 Brazilian election that he lost. Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa and his El Salvador counterpart, Nayib Bukele, were also invited.

Trump snubbed notable world leaders, though, including those of traditional allies of America. United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer was not invited whereas far-right British politician Nigel Farage of the Reform UK party was. Many of Europe’s leaders and member-countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) with largely centrist governments were ignored. German President Olaf Scholz did not get an invite; a courtesy extended to Alice Weidel, leader of far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Neither was French President Emmanuel Macron invited even though he is believed to be pally with Trump. Rather, French far-right politician Eric Zemmour of Reconquest party got extended that courtesy.

Also prominent on the invitation snub-list were African leaders, none of whom Trump invited for his big day. The only attention Nigeria got, for instance, was in the invitation of two high-profile clerics from this country to events connected with the inauguration, which was perceived as underscoring ties between Christian evangelicals and the new US administration. Some analysts argued that Trump might be aiming at leveraging his popularity among Christians as an alternative way of exerting his influence on Africa, in preference to the more conventional channels of the continent’s political leaders. This remains to be seen.

Deeper Life Bible Church founder, Pastor William Kumuyi, and notable gospel artiste, Pastor Nathaniel Bassey, featured at side events marking the US presidential inauguration. Reports said Kumuyi was invited to the oath-taking ceremony proper, but he was unable to attend because of harsh weather that necessitated moving the event indoors where room was limited. He, however, featured at a prayer service organised by an evangelical group for the new president. His invitation to the inauguration was unusual, considering that African heads of state were not on the guest list. For his part, Bassey performed as the only African invitee at the presidential inaugural prayer breakfast, which was a faith-based event held ahead of the swearing-in on Monday. It was not part of the official inauguration activities, though, and the new president did not attend.

“In this new Trump era, Africa had better wake up to the smell of the coffee.”

Trump took the oath as the 47th US president. He overcame two first term impeachments, post-tenure criminal indictments and a couple of assassination attempts to take on a second term. An Arctic blast outdoors rewrote the particulars of the day and compelled moving the inauguration ceremonies indoors to the Capitol Rotunda. It was reportedly the first time such was happening in 40 years.

The new US leader came into office with a bullish zeal for unilateralism with his “America First” doctrine in a multilateral world order. In his inauguration address, he pledged a “golden age” for America and lit into the outgoing Joe Biden administration for allegedly leading the country downhill. “From this day forward, our country will flourish. We will be the envy of every nation and we will not allow ourselves to be taken advantage of any longer,” Trump said. He laid out an ultra-nationalist vision of the future that involves expansion of US territory. He also announced, among other things, plans to halt immigration into his country while weeding out immigrants already in-country but not properly documented. The vibes Trump exuded was unabashedly xenophobic, and in his worldview Africa did not receive a mention or get factored into potential spheres of American interest.

On the heels of his inauguration speech, the president signed a slew of executive orders peeling back the legacy of his immediate predecessor and withdrawing his country from multilateral commitments. Of interest here are a few. One was his executive order seeking to revoke birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants. Birthright citizenship is protected by the 14th Amendment and the executive order was blocked later last week by a US federal judge. The judge held the order “blatantly unconstitutional” and gave an emergency injunction halting its implementation for 14 days while more briefings are made to the court on the legal challenge.

Trump also signed an executive order to, for a second time, withdraw the US from the Paris Climate Accord. Nigeria is a signatory to that accord, which is potentiated to align financial flows on climate change issues in Africa and should benefit countries on the continent by increasing access to global and domestic investments for low-carbon assets. It is also potentiated to help bridge infrastructure gap across Africa sustainably through development of climate-resilient infrastructure. 

There was also the executive order to remove the US from the World Health Organization (WHO). “World Health ripped us off, everybody rips off the United States. It’s not going to happen anymore,”  Trump said as he signed the order. America has been the biggest contributor to WHO and its  withdrawal would dramatically cut funding from the global public health body from which African countries get strong support for disease control and prevention, universal health coverage and immunisation supplementation.

Delivering a virtual address to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, later last week, the American leader reaffirmed his country’s new unilateralism. He said in its new “golden age,” the US would pursue its singular national interests exclusively. He referred to America several times as a “sovereign” nation – a MAGA code for the US acting alone and not through international organisations that Washington helped to establish after World War II to make the world safe for all and promote prosperity for all. Trump argued that this is fair enough because “many things have been unfair for many years to the United States.” And America is so powerful and resource rich that it can do just fine on its own anyway. He said of Canada, for instance: “We don't need them to make our cars… We don't need their lumber because we have our own forests, etcetera, etcetera. We don't need their oil and gas, we have more than anybody.”

In this new Trump era, Africa had better wake up to the smell of the coffee. America has been the resource spine for many international bodies from which countries on the continent get support. Now, the American leader says the party is over except for where his country gets benefitted first; otherwise, everybody else should step up to the plate. Perhaps Trump is good for Africa after all. The donor-dependent mindset that has retarded the continent will in him find brutal cure through neglect.