• 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

13-Year-Old Black Girl, the youngest person to be Accepted to Medical School in U.S.

July 26, 2022 By AFRIPOL

Tobi Amusan Tears of joy as Nigerian National Anthem plays

July 25, 2022 By AFRIPOL

RSS AllAfrica News: Latest

  • South Africa: 'Break the Silence on Gender Based Violence' - South African News Briefs - August 10, 2022
    [allAfrica] Cape Town --  
  • Uganda: I Want Museveni to Go Peacefully - Newly Appointed Justice Minister Mao
    [Nile Post] The new minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs Norbert Mao has reiterated that the presidential transition and constitutional reforms make up the wider aspect of his duty as he assumes office.
  • Nigeria: Nigeria Arrests Suspects in Catholic Church Massacre
    [Premium Times] No fewer than 40 worshippers were massacred at the St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, by suspected terrorists on 5 June.
  • Kenya: Kisumu Quietens as Tallying Gets Underway After Election Day Funfair
    [Capital FM] Kisumu -- Kisumu City remained a dull city throughout the night on Tuesday following the closing of polls as election officials begun tallying presidential votes in the 2022 General Election reflecting a drastic change from the excitement reported on Election Day.
  • Angola: How Not to Respond to Drought - Lessons From Angola
    [The Conversation Africa] Three years after a severe drought in southwestern Angola, people in the area continue to suffer. Hunger remains pervasive and they are still losing livestock.
  • Mozambique: Unions Hit Snooze On a National Strike - Why It's a Bad Thing for Workers
    [The Conversation Africa] The surge in food and fuel prices has led to calls for national shutdowns across southern Africa. In Mozambique, trade unions issued a statement denouncing the rising cost of living, inadequate public services, generalised corruption, political patronage in the public sector and lack of compliance with labour protections.

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

  • Nigeria: The politics of religion in a transitional society
  • Nigeria ranked fourth among world top debtors.
  • The Mafia Paradigm
  • Nigerian Diasporas Remit $60.22bn in three years.
  • Dr. Philip Ozuah: Anambra State US-Based Doctor Donates $1m to University of Ibadan

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 © 2022 · AFRIPOL