A fake Donald Trump quote says he'll depose African dictators, and some activists are counting on it
There's a fake Donald Trump quote circulating in East Africa which has some local activists hoping a President Trump means no more President Mugabe.
In the counterfeit comment, Trump promises his administration will not "condone any dictatorial tendencies exhibited by dictators around the world, especially the two old men from Zimbabwe and Uganda," referring to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe (in office since 1987) and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni (in office since 1986). The quote goes on to say Trump will jail both strongmen "personally."
It's a tantalizing prospect for Zimbabweans and Ugandans eager for change. "Among the candidates for the presidents of America, [Trump is] the only man who says that once he becomes the president of America, he will fight the dictators — all African dictators," said one such hopeful activist, Kizza Hakim, who demonstrated for Trump at the U.S. embassy in Uganda.
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But not all of Africa is pro-Trump. In the nations with the continent's two largest economies, Nigeria and South Africa, 7 in 10 people would rather see Hillary Clinton win.
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Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.
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