Donald Trump is returning to the White House, and people worldwide are trying to come to terms with how his second term will once again shake up global affairs. Donald Trump has promised sweeping action in a second administration.
As soon as it was announced that Donald Trump had won the US presidency for the second time, leaders from across Africa began tweeting their congratulations. Nigeria’s Bola Tinubu expressed hope that Trump’s second term would bring “reciprocal economic and development partnerships between Africa and the United States,” while Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa stated he is “ready to work with Trump” adding that “Zimbabwe stands with Trump.”
As one of the Big Five countries in the world, the US’s influence on global politics is apparent. As Trump takes office, he now wields this power and (to a large extent,) influences the policies other countries seeking US allyship adopt. But will Trump’s second term be good for the people on the continent, especially women? Let’s discuss how Trump’s win may result in a drastic setback for African women whose rights are already almost non-existent.
Mass deportations and strict immigration laws
The Trump administration has vowed mass deportations that may ruin lives and separate families. Trump’s views on illegal immigration are clear, during his 2024 campaign he vowed to deport one million people who do not have legal permission to be in the United States.
As of 2021, there were 23.2 million female immigrants in the United States of which Africans account for more than 2.1 million of the immigrant population. It is important to note that some of these women fled war, persecution and poverty.
In his first term, Trump introduced measures that curbed immigration from several African countries, including Nigeria, Eritrea, Sudan and Tanzania. These countries have been classified as regions currently experiencing high levels of conflict and Trump’s intention to restrict immigrants from African countries may put more women at high risk and also result in the loss of more lives and property.
Potential cut to foreign aid
Africa gets most of its aid from the US, which donated almost $3.7bn in 2024. The US aid helps over 8 million refugees and asylum seekers as well as more than 30 million internally displaced persons, across Africa, and women represent half of these numbers.
Trump’s last administration repeatedly made proposals to Congress to slash foreign aid worldwide, but these cuts were rejected. Had they been implemented, the US government policies with respect to health and security assistance in Africa would have been cut drastically, putting more women at welfare and security risks.
If Trump gets his way with cuts to foreign aid in his second term, the effect these policies would have on African female refugees will be deeply felt.
Trump versus the LGBTQ+ community
Trump’s stance on the LGBTQ+ community has always been clear and he has been vocal about his intentions with gender policies.
On his 2024 campaign website, he vowed to redefine gender at the federal level so that male and female (as assigned at birth) are the only recognised genders. Trump’s platform also urged the adoption of national “Don’t Say Gay” policies targeting LGBTQ+ students in schools and promises to “keep men out of women’s sports.” As a senator, his running mate, J.D. Vance, introduced a bill threatening to jail doctors who treat trans youth patients.
Those policies would be an extension of Trump’s first four years in office, which saw a relentless onslaught of attacks against the LGBTQ+ community. Among the more prominent were banning trans people from serving in the military, erasing mentions of LGBTQ+ people from federal websites, rescinding protections for trans students in schools, and opposing workplace protections for LGBTQ+ employees.
While these policies are restricted to the US, their influence will be felt globally, especially in Africa which has strong allies with the US and already exhibits hostile intolerance towards the LGBTQ community. Trump’s policies will further legitimise hostility toward people of the community even on the African continent.
US abortion laws affect African women too
There will almost certainly be a nationwide abortion ban in the US. Trump, a pro-life advocate, has expressed that “he will not sign a federal ban on states’ right to make abortion decisions when he is back in the White House.” This means that Trump will continue to support states making laws that prevent women from having full autonomy over their bodies, especially regarding reproductive healthcare like abortions.
Researchers have found that maternal deaths in the US will rise by 24% if abortion is banned in the US and the numbers are even worse for black women whose deaths would rise by 39%. A woman in Wisconsin was left to bleed for over 10 days after suffering an incomplete miscarriage as doctors struggled to navigate abortion law in the state.
With the abortion laws, complications such as ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages, blood pressure disorders of pregnancy etc. put the lives of many women at risk. This also affects the lives of over 2.1 million African immigrants who reside in the US, 45% of which are female.
The risk for people living with HIV/AIDS
The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) (launched by former President George W, Bush in 2003) saves lives, prevents HIV infections, and accelerates progress toward achieving HIV/AIDS pandemic control in more than 50 countries around the world. Since Africa is the region of the world most affected by HIV/AIDS, it is often a beneficiary of this relief but this may be disrupted with Trump’s administration.
In his first tenure as president of the United States, his administration banned people with HIV from military deployment, disbanded the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, and slashed global funding for HIV prevention and treatment.
This means that Africa may soon experience a scarcity of antiretroviral drugs and other medications, affecting over 25.6 million people living with HIV in Africa of which over 25% are young women aged 15-24 years.
A gloomy future
Overall, Trump’s return to the White House poses significant risks for women in the US and Africa alike. His first term as president had a profoundly negative impact on African countries and their people, stemming from his policies and actions on immigration, aid, trade, diplomacy, security, women’s well-being, and their individual autonomy.
However, nothing speaks louder about his attitude toward Africa and Black people than his 2018 remarks, where he allegedly referred to African nations as “shithole countries.”
These two words are a stark reflection of his history and attitude of racism toward people of African descent. There is also no doubt that his opinions and mindset about Africa will influence his decisions and invariably affect the lives of many African women as he returns to office.
