President Donald Trump told African leaders attending a Wednesday luncheon associated with the United Nations General Assembly that their nations have ‘tremendous business potential,’ although ‘too many people are suffering from conflict’ on the continent.
‘Africa has tremendous business potential. I have so many friends going to your countries trying to get rich. I congratulate you. They’re spending a lot of money,’ the former real estate developer said.
Staying on the topic, Trump said, ‘But it does, it has a tremendous business potential. And representing huge amounts of different markets. And for American firms, it’s really become a place that they have to go, that they want to go.
‘Six of the world’s ten fastest-growing economies are in Africa,’ he pointed out.
President Donald Trump told African leaders attending a Wednesday luncheon associated with the United Nations General Assembly that their nations have ‘tremendous business potential,’ although ‘too many people are suffering from conflict’ on the continent
President Donald Trump greets Guinea President Alpha Conde, right, during a luncheon with African leaders at the Palace Hotel during the United Nations General Assembly
‘Africa has tremendous business potential. I have so many friends going to your countries trying to get rich. I congratulate you. They’re spending a lot of money,’ the former real estate developer said
The word ‘potential’ was on the tip of Trump’s tongue all week as he attended UN functions.
First, it was the property that he owns on UN Plaza.
‘I actually saw great potential right across the street, to be honest with you, and it was only for the reason that the United Nations was here that that turned out to be such a successful project,’ Trump said at the top of his remarks Monday during a meeting on UN reform.
He was making reference to Trump World Tower, the 72-story glass rectangular building located across the street from the UN’s international headquarters.
On it’s web site, the Trump Organization touts the UN as a prime selling point for Trump World Tower’s condos.
‘Adjacent to the United Nations Headquarters and surrounded by lush landscaping with a public plaza along East 47th Street, our 90-story building offers residential condominiums that deliver incomparable luxury,’ the site says.
After delivering remarks where he criticized UN spending, Trump said, the international body has ‘a lot of potential.’
‘The meeting was very good. I met a lot of the people that I have been dealing with over the last nine months. A lot of potential. The United Nations has tremendous potential and we’ll see how it works out,’ Trump said.
Asked about the message of the major speech he was preparing to give the following day, Trump said it was to ‘make the United Nations great. Not again. Make the United Nations great.’
‘Such tremendous potential, and I think we’ll be able to do this,’ he told reporters then.
This afternoon, Trump talked about the ‘potential’ of African nations during an event that was billed as a working lunch.
Ministers from Uganda, South Africa, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana and Ethiopia were in attendance.
Trump’s National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Chief of Staff John Kelly and U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley were also at the luncheon.
In his remarks, Trump said his administration is ‘closely monitoring and deeply disturbed’ by the violence in South Sudan and the Congo.
‘But real results in halting this catastrophe will require an African-led peace process,’ he stated. ‘And I know you’re working on that, and you’re working very hard.’
To that end, Trump said he’s sending Haley to Africa to discuss avenues of conflict resolution and prevention.
‘A number of you have told me last night that we’ve been doing a very good job over the last six or seven months,’ he said of the administration’s terror stance.
HHS Secretary Tom Price will also be visiting Africa to promote the United States’ health security agenda, Trump told them, bringing up the the battle against HIV/AIDS in Uganda and the Ebola outbreak in Guinea and Nigeria.
He said in closing, as attendees prepared to engage in conversation over their meal, that Africa has ‘tremendous, tremendous potential,’ ringing the bell once again.
‘Thank you for joining me in this critical discussion in the challenges and opportunities,’ he said.