US President Donald Trump is less than five months into his second term, but he's already reshaping U.S. foreign policy in his image. And his stance on Africa has been no less aggressive than on Europe and China, despite the marked disadvantages already facing the continent.
Having spiked tariffs enough to cripple the likes of tiny Lesotho, within his first few weeks, Trump is now ready to talk. His envoy to the latest Africa CEO Forum, Troy Fitrell, said the US is planning a US-Africa Summit, this summer -- likely to be held in New York. The agenda? A six-point plan focused almost entirely on American priorities.
Fitrell, the US State Department's Acting Assistant Secretary for African Affairs, laid out the plan during his speech at the Forum in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. It includes blocking China's influence, restricting immigration, expanding U.S. trade access, and -- most controversially -- proposing new taxes on African diaspora remittances. At a time when many African economies, including Liberia's, are still recovering from successive shocks, these policies are not just tone-deaf. They're dangerous.
Africa's Needs, America's Interests, and a Shrinking Middle Ground
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Trump's approach follows a familiar script: summon African leaders to Washington or New York, dictate the terms, then leave. Granted, his predecessors, Obama included, only softened the blow to continental pride with milder rhetoric and trade terms far more favorable that those now in place. Either way, the mood across the continent is shifting.
From young voters in West Africa to policymakers in Addis Ababa and South Africa, many are tired of the old dynamic -- shrinking aid with tighter strings, increasingly hypocritical lectures on democracy, and trade deals that mostly benefit the U.S.
Liberia, where remittances account for a fifth of the economy, cannot afford to ignore the threat of new taxes on diaspora inflows. Nor can it shrug off the indirect damage caused by the recent freeze on USAID-funded projects, which hit the health and education sectors hardest.
More broadly, Trump's "America First" stance threatens to isolate Africa at a time when global cooperation is both critical and lifesaving.
A Seat at the Table or Back on the Menu?
In 2018, Trump referred to African nations as "shithole countries." Since then, his Africa policy has remained driven more by political calculation than partnership. Now, by calling for another summit on U.S. soil, he risks reinforcing the image of Africa as an audience and cadre of subjects, not a bloc of sovereign actors. This especially after Trump has taken pains, during this term and the last, to visit other regions or at least send high level envoys there. That the US President has recently posted a picture of himself with a crown and called himself "king" renders the idea of a US-based summit all the more emasculating -- and ominous.
The upshot is that many observers are calling for African leaders to take a bold, unified stand: decline the symbolic summons to New York, and demand that any future summit be held at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa.
Such a move would serve as a more substantial response to Trump's earlier racist comments. And it would signal that Africa commands respect -- not just recognition.
Liberia's Legacy and Its Responsibility
Few African nations have a more storied relationship with the United States than Liberia. Modeled on American institutions, forged by freed Black Americans, and often spoken of as Washington's closest ally on the continent, Liberia has historically been seen as the "natural partner" in U.S.-Africa diplomacy.
That legacy carries weight. And, as Liberia bids for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, it must help steer this moment in a new direction.
That means:
- Leading calls for a summit in Africa, not Manhattan.
- Proposing an Africa-centered trade agenda.
- Standing up for remittances as a vital economic lifeline -- not a revenue stream for U.S. tax authorities.
- Using its platform to rally consensus around sovereignty, especially over natural resources.
Youth Disillusionment and the Rise of a New Sovereignty Agenda
Across the Mano River Union and the Sahel, the tide is turning. Young Africans are increasingly skeptical of Western influence -- especially when it comes without investment or respect.
Figures like Burkina Faso's Captain Ibrahim Traoré have gained traction not just through strongman politics, but by tapping into the frustration of a generation that feels ignored and exploited. While Liberia's President Joseph N. Boakai need not mimic Traoré's model, it would be wise to read the moment: African leaders who speak boldly, act strategically, and center their people's dignity are gaining influence and staying power.
China, Russia, and the Danger of Desperation
In the face of U.S. disengagement and disrespect, some African states are leaning harder into China and Russia. Beijing, for all its flaws, builds roads, ports, and schools. Moscow offers security and a willing ear. Neither comes without strings -- but they at least come to the table.
For Liberia and other long-standing U.S. allies, the danger is not in exploring new partnerships -- but in running blindly into the arms of Eastern powers out of frustration with the West.
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Liberia Must Shift the Conversation
While many Liberians still hold out hope that the general arc of US-Liberia relations will remain positive, there is increasing concern that the detrimental effects of Trump's policies will outlast his presidency.
Indeed, the last decade has taught Liberians that war is not the only phenomenon that bears a long lag effect. Even slight slumps in commodity prices can pose severe setbacks -- let alone elections and public health crises. Liberia has experienced each of these in swift succession -- including two pandemics, one of which Trump exacerbated with his gross mismanagement of COVID-19. The country is still recovering from the cascading impacts of these shocks, and Trump's "America only" stance has proven far from helpful in that effort.
Liberia cannot dictate Trump's policies. But it must shape Africa's response, as a matter of national security. And, as a moral voice, a strategic partner, and a potential UN Security Council member, it has both history and leverage on its side.
This summit must not be another ritual of deference. It must be a reset -- led by Africa, held in Africa, and shaped by African priorities.
Liberia's role? To turn a summons into a conversation, and a crisis into an opportunity for a stronger, more sovereign continent.
