As President Joe Biden prepares for his first visit to the African continent in the oil and resource-rich Angola on Dec. 4, it remains to be seen if his successor, President-elect Trump, is as committed to diplomacy in Africa as previous U.S. presidents have been.
During his first term, Trump showed no commitment or interest in true engagement with Africa, nor has he shown any during his presidential transition before taking the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2025.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, senior advisor and spokesperson for Biden, told theGrio the president’s trip to Angola is intended to foster “shared interests” between the United States and Africa. Those shared interests include American businesses participating in Angola’s economy, as well as Angolan companies doing business in the U.S., including the oil industry and construction. There’s also a goal of establishing digital connectivity that reinforces Angola’s goals of renewable energy and food self-sufficiency.
President Biden’s trip to Angola will also spotlight a multinational rail line project, the Lobito Corridor, which will stretch from the Angolan port of Lobito to Zambia and connect one end of Sub-Saharan Africa to the other. The initiative is a collaboration between the U.S., the European Union, and participating African nations and financial institutions. At $3 billion, it is the largest-ever rail investment by the U.S. in Africa.
Regarding U.S.-Africa relations over the next four years, there are concerns, even as the presidents of Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa welcomed the news of Trump’s election to a second term. Many African leaders and advocates still recall Trump’s infamous reference to Haiti and African nations as “shithole countries” in 2018.
Jean-Pierre, during Thursday’s White House press briefing, told theGrio, “This president believes in respecting people.” She emphasized, “Again, it doesn’t matter where you come from. It doesn’t matter if you voted for him or not. He believes every American has the opportunity to be uplifted.”
Donald Trump is the only Republican president since George W. Bush who has never traveled to Sub-Saharan Africa. Every president since Bill Clinton, except for Trump, has traveled to the continent to promote trade, health, national security, the economy, natural resources, and more.
An anonymous source in African affairs previously told theGrio, “Anytime you do not focus on something that has been a focus for decades, you lose ground.”
President Biden has committed $55 billion to Africa. However, African leaders are concerned that funding for the continent under the next Trump administration could be cut with his America First policy.
This concern comes as Trump’s new close ally, billionaire Elon Musk, is a native South African who was raised in the African nation’s then deadly and racist apartheid system.