Donald Trump’s Administration Considering Draft Order, Aims to Reduce Diplomatic Footprint in Africa
- Donald Trump's administration is reportedly considering a new order that directly affects Africa
- According to the order, the USA would reduce its diplomatic footprint in Africa, closing most embassies
- South Africans weighed in on the order, with many saying they felt sorry for the next president of the US
Source: Getty Images
Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
WASHINGTON, DC – A new order reportedly under consideration in the White House could have an interesting impact on Africa.
According to the New York Times, the United States is looking to drastically reduce its diplomatic footprint on the continent.
A copy of the draft executive order, which was viewed by Agence France-Presse (AFP), called for a structural reorganisation of the State Department by 1 October 2025.
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Draft order prioritises an America First approach
According to reports, the draft order would see a reorganising of US diplomatic efforts into four regions. Those regions are Eurasia, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Africa is no longer on the list.
"All non-essential embassies and consulates in Sub-Saharan Africa shall be closed," the draft order said.
All remaining missions will be consolidated under a special envoy to Africa.
Marco Rubio claims the report is fake
While AFP is said to have seen the order, Marco Rubio claimed it wasn’t true.
The US Secretary of State took to X to label the New York Times’ article as fake news.
You can view his post below.
Trump has had a strange relationship with Africa since his return to the White House, picking on some of the nations.
The President of the US has already claimed to have never heard of Lesotho and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and also falsely claimed that terrible things were happening in South Africa.
What you need to know about Trump’s relationship with Africa
- The United States government is reportedly planning to create refugee centres for Afrikaners in South Africa.
- Trump mocked Lesotho during an address to Congress, saying that no one had heard about the country.
- Trump once again described South Africa as a dangerous place in a deleted tweet.
- The US President imposed 30% tariffs on South Africa and 50% on Lesotho.
- Trump declared that he's cutting all funding to South Africa after the passing of the Expropriation Bill.
South Africans feel sorry for the next US President
Social media users weighed in on the latest order, with some stating they felt sorry for whoever had to clean up Trump’s mess.
Thandeka Mbabala KaMashiya said:
“By the time he leaves the US presidency, the US will be an average country. It won't be the powerful country that it is now.”
Michelle Rice added:
“You know what, I would hate to be the one that has to come in and straighten out all this mess that this man is making.”
Ray M. Moremi stated:
“He is not God. Let him do as he pleases. His term will end anyway.”
School Lacatus said:
“He has got four miserable years to mess everything up, just for the next president to come in and clean up as usual.
Griffin Magalasi Botha II suggested:
“And they must close their military bases that are fuelling wars in Africa and elsewhere.”
Congressman introduces new bill targeting South Africa
Briefly News reported that US Congressman Ronny Jackson introduced a new bill that targeted South Africa.
The US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act will give the US more tools to impose sanctions.
Jackson said this move was taken after South Africa aligned itself with terrorist organisations.
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Source: Briefly News
