“Trump’s African summit was a masterclass in modern colonial theatre.” Ive read …

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“Trump’s African summit was a masterclass in modern colonial theatre.” Ive read a lot of these accounts of Trump’s Africa mini-summit and what each analysis fails to capture is that this meeting is no different than any other meeting Trump has. Whether a cabinet meeting of his closest advisors, a meeting with another head of state, or a collection of local leaders. Every meeting is political theater where Trump is at the center directing the stage he has set and every attendee made to be a sycophant. This meeting was just Trump being Trump. That’s not an excuse, but it is a reason why I dont think it was a “masterclass in colonial theatre.” People can argue that any meeting Trump stages is cringe-worthy and one where he asserts his dominance over whoever is sitting across from him. Yes, the Zelensky and Ramaphosa incidents are extreme examples of this, but I have yet to see a meeting where this isnt the case. I appreciate the heavy colonial baggage that African leaders must carry when they are invited into a Western capital, but I am pretty certain that Trump doesn’t. You can argue that he should, but then you would also expect for Trump to engage like someone he is not and that doesnt seem likely to happen.
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Source by Cameron Hudson