• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
AFRIPOL

AFRIPOL

en English
ar Arabiczh-CN Chinese (Simplified)nl Dutchen Englishfr Frenchde Germanit Italianpt Portugueseru Russianes Spanish
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Mission Statement
  • Articles
  • Book Review
  • Archive
  • Contact Us

Trump Wanted to Shut Down Every U.S. Embassy in Africa, Former Defense Secretary Says

May 10, 2022 by Admin Leave a Comment

By Ryan Bort  ROLLING STONE

Donald Trump and Mark Esper
Defense Secretary Mark Esper looks on as President Donald Trump addresses White House reporters in March 2020. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Image
Mark Esper’s new book has provided a wealth of insight into the unhinged, dangerous, and often racist directives the former president issued while in office

The revelations keep on coming from Mark Esper’s new book about his time in the Trump administration. Politico on Monday orning published a new excerpt from A Sacred Oath, in which the former defense secretary expounds on the unhinged ideas Trump incessantly pushed and the efforts of those around him to convince the president to pursue more reasonable options. One such idea was to shut down the U.S. embassies in Africa.

“Shut down the embassies in Africa,” Esper writes that Trump said said, noting that he did so regularly. “Bring our people [U.S. diplomats] home.”

Trump hasn’t exhibited very much much affection for Africa’s 50-plus countries since entering politics. He famously described African nations as “shithole countries” during an immigration debate in 2018, drawing widespread condemnation.

Michael Cohen, the former president’s former attorney and fixer, alleged during testimony, as well as in his own memoir, that Trump had previously asked him if he could name a country run by a Black leader that wasn’t a “shithole.” Trump also, of course, largely launched his political career on the racist idea that Barack Obama was secretly born in Africa.

Esper writes the A Sacred Oath excerpt published by Politico on Monday that he tried to rebut this and other “outlandish” ideas with “facts, data and arguments,” but that this only irritated Trump. He notes that Trump also wanted a “complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from South Korea,” the nation that abuts the dictatorship run by Kim Jong-un, whom Trump has praised repeatedly.

Esper is in the middle of an extremely busy promotional tour for A Sacred Oath, which is out Tuesday. He recently sat down for an glossy interview with 60 Minutes during which he spoke at length about the “bad” and “dangerous” moves Trump was pushing ahead of the 2020 election, and how he and others in the Trump administration had to work to convince the president to reconsider. He listed Trump’s desire to take military action against Venezuela, to strike Iran, and to blockade Cuba.

“It seemed every few weeks something like this would come up and we would have to swat him down,” Esper told 60 Minutes.

Credit: Rolling Stone

Filed Under: Articles

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

More to See

Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire have Declared war on the Global chocolate industry over cocoa prices (video)

March 20, 2023 By AFRIPOL

(video) I Will Never Call And Congratulate Sanwo-Olu For This Sham Of An Election – Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour

March 19, 2023 By AFRIPOL

RSS AllAfrica News: Latest

  • Africa: TotalEnergies CAF CL - Elshahat Double Sends Ahly's Red Devils Flying Into Quarters
    [CAF] In front of slightly over 50,000 fans at the Cairo International Stadium on Saturday, record African champions Al Ahly soared into the quarter-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League after a well worked 3-0 victory over Sudan's AL Hilal.
  • Africa: TotalEnergies CAF CL - Petro Hit Vita to Finish Third in Group a
    [CAF] Angola's Petro de Luanda finished third in Group A of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League after a nervy 1-0 win over Congo's AS Vita Club at their Estádio 11 de Novembro backyard in the capital Luanda.
  • Africa: CAF African Schools Football Championship the Finalists - Cecafa - Unaf
    [CAF] Fountain Gate Secondary School cruised to the title in the girls' competition at the CECAFA zonal finals that were played in February. The Tanzanian side defeatedAwaro Senior Secondary from Ethiopia 3-0 in the final, using the benefit of home ground advantage to book their place at the continental event.
  • Rwanda: How New Rwanda-Australia Trade, Investment Body Will Boost Ties
    [New Times] The Australia -- Rwanda Trade and Investment Council (ARTIC), a new body formed during the Australian leadership retreat in Brisbane from March 24 to 25, aims to strengthen relations between Australia and Rwanda by building mutually beneficial links in business, education, and culture.The council which is composed of business and community leaders, plans […]
  • Sudan: Statement By Spokesman of Political Process
    [SNA] Khartoum -- A meeting was held in the Republican Palace at 01:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 1st, which included the President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, Gen. Abdul-Fattah Al-Burhan, the Vice - President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, and the leaders of the civil forces that signed the framework agreement […]
  • Sudan: Parties of Framework Agreement Decide to Solve Military Reform Issues Before Final Signing
    [SNA] Khartoum -- The military and civil parties that signed the framework agreement, led by the President of the Sovereignty Council, Gen. Abdu-Fattah Al-Burhan, his Deputy, Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the member of the Sovereignty Council, Al-Tahir Hajar, the civil parties that signed the framework agreement, the facilitating tripartite mechanism of the United Nations, the […]

Tags

Achebe Africa Anambra Boko Haram Buhari CBN Corona Virus Egypt Igbo IMF Inflation Jonathan Kenya Nigeria Okonjo Iweala Peter Obi Sanusi Senate Soludo South Africa Soyinka United States
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Archives

Footer

Africa Political and Economic Strategic Center, AFRIPOL is foremost a public policy center whose fundamental objective is to broaden the parameters of public policy debates in Africa. To advocate, promote and encourage free enterprise, democracy, sustainable green environment, human rights, conflict resolutions, transparency and probity in Africa.

Recent

  • Ghana President Publicly ends Cocoa Export to Switzerland.
  • VP Kamala Harris Gives Emotional Speech After Visiting Cape Coast Castle In Ghana (video)
  • U.S Vice President Kamala Harris arrives at Ghana Jubilee House to meet President Akufo-Addo
  • US Vice President Kamala Harris arrives in Ghana for African tour (video, Pics)
  • Peter Obi exchanged views on the state of the nation with OBJ @ Anambra Airport (pics)

Search

Tags

Achebe Africa Anambra Boko Haram Buhari CBN Corona Virus Egypt Igbo IMF Inflation Jonathan Kenya Nigeria Okonjo Iweala Peter Obi Sanusi Senate Soludo South Africa Soyinka United States

Copyright © 2023 · AFRIPOL