Trump threatens to only hand foreign aid to 'friends' as he orders review by Mike Pompeo
'The US is the largest giver in the world by far, but few give anything to us'
Donald Trump has threatened to only provide foreign aid to Americaās friends ā an insight into the apparently transactional nature with which he views such assistance.
In his second address to the United National General Assembly in New York, in a speech heavy on notions of āAmerica Firstā, the president said he had ordered secretary of state Mike Pompeo to review the USās foreign aid contributions.
āThe United States is the worldās largest giver in the world, by far, of foreign aid. But few give anything to us. That is why we are taking a hard look at US foreign assistance,ā said the leader of the wordās second largest economy. āThat will be headed up by secretary of state Mike Pompeo. We will examine what is working, what is not working, and whether the countries who receive our dollars and our protection also have our interests at heart.ā
He added: āMoving forward, we are only going to give foreign aid to those who respect us and, frankly, are our friends. And we expect other countries to pay their fair share for the cost of their defence.ā
The US is the largest donor of aid to other countries. The biggest recipients in 2018 were Israel ($3.1bn), Egypt ($1.39bn) and Jordan $1bn), according to The Borgen Project, a group that works to fight global poverty.
The Trump administration has never hidden from its belief that foreign aid should only to to countries that provide something in return, including support for US positions at the UN.
Last December, after UN members voted to criticise the US for unilaterally recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moving its embassy there, the USās UN envoy Nikki Haley tweeted the US āwill be taking namesā of countries who voted against it.
āAt the UN weāre always asked to do more & give more. So, when we make a decision, at the will of the American ppl, abt where to locate OUR embassy, we donāt expect those weāve helped to target us. On Thurs thereāll be a vote criticising our choice. The US will be taking names,ā she added.
In April, she said the US paid 22 per cent of the the UN budget ā more than the next three highest donor countries combined. āIn spite of this generosity, the rest of the UN voted with us only 31 per cent of the time, a lower rate than in 2016,ā she said.
āWhen we arrived at the UN last year, we said we would be taking names, and this list of voting records speaks for itself. President Trump wants to ensure that our foreign assistance dollars ā the most generous in the world ā always serve American interests, and we look forward to helping him see that the American people are no longer taken for granted.ā
On Tuesday, Mr Trumpās comments, during a speech in which he said he favoured āpatriotismā over globalism, were criticised. Abby Maxman, President of Oxfam America, said while Mr Trumpās boasting may have elicited laughter in the room, āthese stakes are no laughing matterā.
āWith more people displaced than ever before, and as humanitarian crises and extreme weather events strain resources and diplomacy, this is not the time for America to turn further inwards,ā she said.
āToday, President Trump doubled down on his administrationās narrow and defensive approach to international relations at the UN, seeking only to work with nations whose leaders agree with him, instead of demonstrating true leadership and addressing the needs of the most vulnerable people around the world.ā
She added: āUS foreign assistance is not the presidentās personal charity. It is from the American people and an expression of our values that is meant to transcend politics and petty grudges.
Clint Borgen, president of The Borgen Project, said: "I want to cringe every time Trump starts talking about America first. I apologise to the rest of the world. We've got some characters in this country but the vast majority of Americans believe in standing up for the underdog and providing aid to those who need it.
āOnly cowards ignore the kid getting bullied and only weak presidents spend their time focused on how to take food out of the mouths of starving babies."
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