As 2026 unfolds, the Biden-era emphasis on democratic norms in Africa has been decisively dismantled.
From Christmas Day airstrikes in Nigeria to high-stakes mineral deals in the Congo, President Donald Trump’s second-term approach to the continent is a volatile mix of “business-first” pragmatism and kinetic military intervention.
The Guardian tracks this seismic shift, which prioritizes raw trade deals over the long-standing pillars of human rights and democratic governance.
the second Trump administration has adopted an approach to Africa that mirrors its rivals: a transactional, extractive, and often personalized form of diplomacy.
As Ebenezer Obadare of the Council on Foreign Relations told The Guardian, the organizing principle is now purely the short-term interest of the United States. For African nations, the message is clear: if you have nothing to put on the table, you are no longer on the radar.
The Death of Aid: “Trade, Not Handouts
” The most consequential pivot in Trump’s second term has been the formal burial of the “aid paradigm.” Early in the administration, top State Department officials signaled this shift during high-level visits to Côte d’Ivoire, declaring that the U.S. no longer views Africa as a continent in need of charity.
According to internal reports analyzed by The Guardian, the dismantling of USAID stands as the centerpiece of this new doctrine.
While White House spokesperson Anna Kelly describes Africa as a “powerhouse partner” rather than a “charity case,” the humanitarian cost is looming.
The Guardian highlights a chilling forecast published in The Lancet, which warns that the withdrawal of U.S. development and emergency assistance could lead to an additional 14 million deaths globally by 2030, with a disproportionate impact on sub-Saharan Africa.
Guns-a-Blazing
A New Security Paradigm The administration’s approach to conflict resolution has taken a starkly different turn from previous years.
In December, Trump convened the leaders of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to broker a peace deal aimed at opening mining opportunities—stating clearly that the goal was for businesses “to make a lot of money.” However, weeks later, the diplomacy of the boardroom was replaced by the diplomacy of the drone.
Following Christmas Day strikes in Nigeria, Trump used social media to warn of “hell to pay” for those slaughtering Christians. This “guns-a-blazing” rhetoric—a phrase previously used by the President—has complicated the security reality in Nigeria.
While Clement Nwankwo, executive director of the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, told The Guardian that Trump’s threats might force a long-overdue responsiveness from the Nigerian government, the move marks a departure from traditional multilateral security cooperation.
The Elon Musk Factor and the South African Feud
The Guardian’s investigation into the deteriorating U.S.-South Africa relations reveals a personal dimension rarely seen in high-level diplomacy.
Influenced by his ally Elon Musk, Trump has championed the narrative of “white genocide” in South Africa, leading to a diplomatic boycott of the G20 summit in Johannesburg.
Redi Tlhabi, a veteran journalist speaking to The Guardian, noted that South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice is a major driver of this animosity.
This friction has resulted in visa restrictions and a halt on refugee admissions from the region, with the notable exception of white Afrikaners—a move that The Guardian views as a clear alignment with U.S. domestic “culture war” politics.
Disinterest by Design
The Strategic Vacuum Perhaps the most telling sign of Africa’s standing in the Trump administration is its placement in the National Security Strategy.
The Guardian notes that the continent was relegated to three brief paragraphs at the very end of a 29-page document. Murithi Mutiga of the International Crisis Group told the paper that “Africa clearly runs dead bottom in his list of priorities.”
The expiration of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) in September, which went largely ignored by a Republican-controlled Congress, has further crippled African businesses, such as textile manufacturers in Lesotho, who once depended on U.S. market access.
A Frontier for Rivals
China and Russia The Guardian warns that Trump’s coarse language is accelerating a geopolitical drift.
As the U.S. adopts a purely transactional posture, young Africans are increasingly looking to the East.
With the “milk of human kindness” absent from U.S. policy, China and Russia are finding fertile ground to deepen their influence through educational and economic partnerships that do not carry the baggage of Washington’s current visa restrictions.
