Last year, sources in the White House claimed that President Trump referred to African nations as “shithole countries” when he was questioned about immigration. One of the sources briefed on the private conversation said that Trump asked, “Why do we want all these people from Africa here? They’re shithole countries … We should have more people from Norway.”
Now, after a recent visit to Ethiopia and Ivory Coast, the president’s daughter is confident that her father would feel differently if he would visit the continent himself.
“Our commitment to Africa is clear,” said Ivanka Trump to the Associated Press in an interview. “I’ve been deeply, deeply inspired by my trip here. And I think [President Trump] will be as well.”
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Ivanka Trump traveled to Africa to promote women empowerment and gender equality. According to AP, the trip was initially viewed with some skepticism, given the president’s recent efforts to cut foreign aid to a number of African countries. However, Ivanka returned to America with some words that greatly contradict President Trump previous sentiments.
“Our actions are speaking for themselves in terms of our dedication to seeing Africa prosper,” Ivanka Trump said. “I’m very excited about continuing my work to specifically focus on advocating and advancing the role of women on this continent and beyond.”
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Though many remain very skeptical, only time will tell how committed the Trump administration will be toward the investment into Africa and its people.