The offensive remarks about African immigrants attributed to U.S. President Donald Trump drew widespread condemnation but not from Uganda’s head of state, Yoweri Museveni.
In his speech on Tuesday during the opening of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) in the Ugandan capital of Kampala, the president declared his love for President Trump.
“America has got one of the best presidents ever,” he said to laughter. ”I love Trump because he tells Africans frankly. I don’t know if he was misquoted or whatever. He talks about Africans’ weaknesses frankly. The Africans need to solve their problems, the Africans are weak.”
His comments are a direct opposite to the reaction of many leaders who have condemned Mr. Trump’s language.
Earlier this month, Mr. Trump was accused of referring to African nations as “shithole” countries during an immigration meeting. He later denied making the remarks even though several U.S. senators who attended the meeting say he did. The U.S. president did admit to using what he described as “tough” language at the meeting.
The African Union quickly demanded Mr. Trump apologise for his remarks which were deemed by many as racist. Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo tweeted that Trump’s language was “extremely unfortunate”. Namibia said the president’s language had “no place in diplomatic discourse” and was “contrary to the norms of civility and human progress”.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday told the BBC that he shared Africa’s outrage. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, meanwhile, described the reported comments as “racist”, “shocking and shameful”.
Mr. Museveni also turned to Twitter to show his appreciation for Trump’s use of language.
“You can’t survive if you are weak. It is the Africans’ fault that they are weak,” he wrote.
The third purpose for integration is strategic security. Donald Trump speaks to Africans frankly. Africans need to solve their problems. You can't survive if you are weak. It is the Africans' fault that they are weak. We are12 times the size of India, but why are we not strong?
— Yoweri K Museveni (@KagutaMuseveni) January 23, 2018
