WASHINGTON D.C - With the unprecedented election of Donald Trump, many outside the U.S worry about the country’s role in fighting global poverty. The U.S has always been heavily involved in sending foreign aid to regions suffering from disaster and conflict.

A Trump administration could translate to the United Sates stepping away from the world stage. The president elect has said that America must re-prioritize, putting its own needs first.

In a New York Times interview Trump stated his foreign policy as “Not isolationist, but I am America First.”

In light of Trump’s election there has been mounting speculation of what foreign policy will look like in the Trump administration. Having yet to pick a Secretary of State, media and news sources can only refer to his campaign promises.

Being a leader in the fight against global poverty is not just a platform for American ideology. The U.S stands to benefit from creating change in other nations. The United States is part of a global economy, trade with foreign nations is crucial in the stability and rise of its own financial situation.

If the United States does not continue its leadership through the new administration, other nations are poised to take over.

“China alone has lifted over 450 million people out of poverty since 1979.” (Lin 2003)

The recent Republican presidential campaign rhetoric lamented over the United States’ falling power in the world. Often a pivotal moment in the debates and on the campaign trail, Trump often incited conversation on how the United States was falling behind nations like China.

The election of Trump reflected a large part of voters agreeing with the President elect’s stance of foreign policy. There is evidence to suggest that being involved in the growth of poverty stricken areas is beneficial to the American economy.

The United States stepping aside as leader could symbolize the country’s fall as the most influential nation on the globe.

With Trump’s inauguration just weeks away it is unsure what campaign promises will be kept and what the current Obama administration will do to quell worries both inside and out of the country.

Sources:

Haberman M & Sanger, D. 2016 March 26. “In Donald Trump’s Worldview America Comes First, and Everyone Else Pays”. The New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/us/politics/donald-trump-foreign-policy.html

Lin (2003), Economic Growth, Income Inequality, and Poverty Reduction in People's Republic of China, Asian Development Review, vol. 20, no. 2, 2003, p.3