In Africa, meager expectations and some hopes for a second Trump presidency

African leaders may have been quick to congratulate Donald Trump on his election, professing a desire for mutually beneficial partnerships. But there are meager expectations that his second presidency will change things for this continent of over 1.4 billion people. In the wake of Trump’s remarkable win, Kenya’s William Ruto said his country “stands ready” to deepen its ties with Washington. Nigeria’s Bola Tinubu spoke of a second Trump administration ushering in an era of “earnest, beneficial, and reciprocal” cooperation. Still, observers say African countries — once described by Trump as “shithole countries” — are definitely not going to be high on his to-do list.