Trump’s Return: Implications for Nigeria, Africa under MAGA 2.0

NKIRUKA NNOROM FROM VANGUARD

As a new era opens today in the history of the United States of America with the return to power of Donald John Trump, as the 47th president of the US, leaders around the world are already anticipating and grappling with the potential impact of his “America First” stance on trade and immigration.

Since his re-election two months ago, he has been straight and direct about changes he hopes to implement, including tariffs increase on imports to America, changes in environmental policy, tax bills as well as defunding the United Nations.

He has also vowed to reinstate and expand the restrictive immigration policies of his first term, including bringing back travel bans that affected some African countries, carrying out deportation operations, and introducing visa curbs that could negatively affect foreign students and skilled migrants.

Already, there’s a promise of a 25 percent tariff hike on goods from Mexico and Canada and an extra 10 percent hike on goods from China, in what would mark a continuation of the US-China trade war that he triggered during his first term. Mr Trump has also vowed an end to the Russia war in Ukraine, and has threatened that ‘hell would be let loose’ if a truce between Israel and Gaza is not negotiated and agreed on by the time he is sworn-in. The latter has already materialized as Israel and Hamas, Wednesday, agreed on a ceasefire and hostage deal that saw an end to the 15-month war. 

However, there has been an argument that his restrictive immigration policies, especially one that borders on deportation of illegal migrants wouldn’t come without challenges. But Prof. Peter J. Spiro of Temple University Law School in Philadelphia, posited that Trump might be able to push most of his policies through given the dominance of Republicans in both Houses of Congress.

In his comment on Henley Global Q1 Mobility Report 2025, Spiro said: “This time around, the stakes are higher. During the first Trump administration, legacy political guardrails were still in place. Now, many are gone. There is a sense that what Trump wants, Trump will be able to get. His political agenda is mercurial, to say the least, and political uncertainty is the result. Americans can no longer take stability for granted. Trump can be fickle with outsiders, too. It is almost certain that he will resurrect the infamous travel ban, which he put in place a week after he first took office, early in the new administration. The ban precluded targeted nationals from securing permanent residence in the USA as well as a range of temporary-stay visas.”