The Trump Administration Leaned on African Countries. The Goal: Get Business for Elon Musk.

Trump Admin Wields Foreign Policy Apparatus to Advance Musk’s Business Interests

Trump’s State Department has intervened on behalf of Starlink in Gambia and at least four other developing nations.

Trump admin pressured African nations to win contracts for Elon Musk

In early February, Sharon Cromer, U.S. ambassador to Gambia, went to visit one of the country’s Cabinet ministers at his agency’s headquarters, above a partially abandoned strip mall off a dirt road. It had been two weeks since President Donald Trump took office, and Cromer had pressing business to discuss. She needed the minister to fall in line to help Elon Musk. Starlink, Musk’s satellite internet company, had spent months trying to secure …

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Trump’s State Department has been pushing African countries to get SpaceX’s Starlink....

The Trump Administration Leaned On African Countries. The Goal: Get Business For Musk.

This story first appeared at ProPublica. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. In early February, Sharon Cromer, U.S. ambassador to Gambia, went to visit one of the country’s Cabinet ministers at his agency’s headquarters, above a partially abandoned strip mall off a dirt road. It had been two weeks since President Donald Trump took offi…

'Ram this through': The Trump admin targeted African countries with one goal in mind

Reporting Highlights“Maximum Pressure”: The State Department conducted a monthslong campaign to push a small African country to help Musk’s satellite internet company, records and interviews show.“Ram This Through”: Working closely with executives at Starlink, the U.S. government has made a global push to help expand Musk’s business empire in the developing world.“Crony Capitalism”: Diplomats said the events were an alarming departure from stand…

The Trump Administration Leaned on African Countries. The Goal: Get Business for Elon Musk.

The State Department has intervened on behalf of Musk’s satellite internet company in five developing nations. In Gambia, U.S. diplomats have lobbied and browbeat at least seven government ministers as part of a “maximum pressure” campaign.