Africa Up Close

President Donald Trump delivers the 2019 State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol. Photo courtesy of The White House via Flickr Commons. ( Photo by D. Myles Cullen)

Trump never mentioned Africa during his February 5, 2019 State of the Union address, and rarely has Africa featured in the president’s major foreign policy priorities. Instead, Mr. Trump has tended to frame foreign policy objectives as extensions of domestic policy, indicative of his “America First” approach to international affairs. Foreign policy experts must, therefore, analyze his words through this lens, as domestic issues in the Trump Administration can carry real weight abroad and hold key insights into the president’s primary concerns and objectives. The president’s foreign policy priorities for Africa, as outlined by National Security Advisor John Bolton on December 13, 2018, and Trump’s State of the Union speech two months later, shed light on the administration’s chief concerns for the future of U.S.-Africa relations and contain major implications for American engagement on the continent.