ANALYSIS — Joe Biden stepped foot Monday on sub-Saharan African soil for the first time as president, but U.S. foreign policy increasingly runs through Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate as world leaders brace for the return of his combative isolationist approach.
What likely is Biden’s final overseas trip as America’s diplomat in chief has been overshadowed by Trump’s pointed conversations with traditional U.S. allies about his threatened tariffs, illegal immigration flows and other contentious issues.
A prime example came Saturday. Biden arrived back at the White House after a family Thanksgiving in Nantucket, Mass., in preparation for his trip to the southern African nation of Angola, which also included a stop in Cape Verde. The Africa swing was four years in the making and represented the fulfillment of a 2020 campaign trail pledge to visit the continent.
