OPINION | This article contains commentary that reflects the author's opinion.
Patrice Motsepe is a South African billionaire that praised President Trump’s business acumen and thanked him directly for keeping Africa out of war at the World Economics Forum last week.
Motsepe’s words circulated on Twitter in a viral video throughout the following days.
Patrice Motsepe doing everything he can to make sure Africa is never involved in World War 3! I stan🙌🏾 pic.twitter.com/T41UoyLDQo
— 𝗢𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀𝗲 𝗠𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗲🎞️📽🔥🔥🔥 (@unclescrooch) January 24, 2020
President Trump and the billionaire business man exchanged several compliments in this recorded moment. Motsepe proceeded to wish America well while stating: “We want America to do well. We want you to do well. The success of America is the success of the rest of the world. Africa loves America. Africa loves you.”
Since the exchange several legislators and government representatives have criticized Motsepe and his positive exchange with President Trump. Motsepe was not speaking on behalf of any government, he was only identifying that Africa and America have a shared interest in the success of freedom and democracy in America.
Breitbart reported that the pressure applied to Motsepe led to him making an apology for the exchange at the forum.
“I have a duty to listen to these differing views and would like to apologize. I do not have the right to speak on behalf of anybody except myself,” he said.
Motsepe said his remarks were partly aimed at encouraging discussions between the Trump administration and African political leaders amid, “increasing feedback from certain American political and business leaders that South Africa and some African countries are anti-America and its political leadership.”
Motsepe, the first black African on the Forbes billionaires list and brother-in-law of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, was attending a dinner of business leaders from around the world including FIFA president Gianni Infantino, the CEOs of Siemens and Saudi Aramco and the Ivory Coast-born CEO of Credit Suisse, Tidjane Thiam.
There is no way to determine the level of support that President Trump has in Africa, but those that reach out in order to build a relationship to conquer what divides us has always been an uphill battle.
