How African leaders bent the knee at Trump summit

US President Donald Trump’s recent African summit was a masterclass in modern colonial theatre, writes Al Jazeera columnist Tafi Mhaka, pointing out that to dodge Trump’s tariffs and wrath, five African Presidents played the role of loyal colonial subjects, and left their dignity behind. He says Trump opened his three-day mini summit at the White House with the leaders of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal – by subjecting his distinguished guests to a carefully staged public humiliation. 'Whether by coincidence or calculated design, the meeting took place on the same day the Trump administration escalated its trade war, slapping new tariffs on eight countries, including the North African nations of Libya and Algeria. It was a telling contrast: Even as Trump claimed to be “strengthening ties with Africa”, his administration was penalising African nations. The optics revealed the incoherence – or perhaps the honesty – of Trump’s Africa policy, where partnership is conditional and often indistinguishable from punishment.’ Trump opened the summit with a four-minute speech in which he claimed the five invited leaders were representing the entire African continent, according to Mhaka. ‘Never mind that their countries barely register in US-Africa trade figures; what mattered was the gold, oil, and minerals buried beneath their soil. At that moment, the illusion of diplomacy collapsed, and the true nature of the meeting was revealed. Trump shifted from statesman to showman, no longer merely hosting but asserting control. The summit quickly descended into a cringe-inducing display, where Africa was presented not as a continent of sovereign nations but as a rich expanse of resources, fronted by compliant leaders performing for the cameras.'

'This was not a dialogue but a display of domination: A stage-managed production in which Trump scripted the scene and African heads of state were cast in subordinate roles. Trump was in his element, orchestrating the event like a puppet master, directing each African guest to play his part and respond favourably.’ Mhaka notes that President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania led the way, both physically and symbolically, by praising Trump’s ‘commitment’ to Africa. ‘The claim was as misleading as it was surreal, given Washington’s recent aid cuts, punitive tariffs, and tightened visa restrictions on African nations. In one especially embarrassing moment, Ghazouani described Trump as the world’s top peacemaker – crediting him, among other things, with stopping “the war between Iran and Israel”. This praise came with no mention of the US’ continued military and diplomatic support for Israel’s war on Gaza, which the African Union has firmly condemned.’ Perhaps mindful of the tariffs looming over his own country, Mhaka, says in the Al Jazeera analysis that Ghazouani, who served as AU Chair in 2024, slipped into the role of a willing supplicant. ‘He all but invited Trump to exploit Mauritania’s rare minerals… This tone would define the entire sit-down. One by one, the African leaders offered Trump glowing praise and access to their countries’ natural resources – a disturbing reminder of how easily power can script compliance.’

Mhaka states that what did capture Trump’s attention was the English fluency of Liberia’s President Joseph Boakai. ‘Ignoring the content of Boakai’s remarks, Trump marvelled at his “beautiful” English and asked, “Where did you learn to speak so beautifully? Where were you educated? Where? In Liberia?” That Trump seemed unaware English is Liberia’s official language, and has been since its founding in 1822 as a haven for freed American slaves, was perhaps less shocking than the colonial tone of his question, states Mhaka. 'His astonishment that an African President could speak English well betrayed a deeply racist, imperial mindset.' Mhaka believes that more than anything, Trump’s comments on Boakai reflected his deeper indifference to Africa. 'They stripped away any illusion that this summit was about genuine partnership. How the Trump administration concluded that five men could represent the entire continent remains baffling, unless, of course, this wasn’t about representation at all, but control. Trump didn’t want engagement; he wanted performance. And sadly, his guests obliged.' Faye, he feels, was especially disappointing. ‘He came to power on the back of an anti-imperialist platform, pledging to break with neo-colonial politics and restore African dignity. Yet at the White House, he bent the knee to the most brazen imperialist of them all. Like the others, he failed to challenge Trump, to assert equality, or to defend the sovereignty he so publicly champions at home. In a moment when African leaders had the chance to push back against a resurgent colonial mindset, they instead bowed – giving Trump space to revive a 16th-century fantasy of Western mastery, states Mhaka in the  Al Jazeera analysis. ‘For this, he offered a reward: He might not impose new tariffs on their countries, he said, “because they are friends of mine now”. Trump, the “master”, triumphed. All the Africans had to do was bow at his feet.’