Former U.S. President Donald Trump has once again stirred controversy by claiming that the United States financed the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a massive hydropower project on the Nile River. Speaking at a dinner reception for Republican senators over the weekend, Trump said, “Ethiopia built a dam mostly with American money,” marking the third time in a month he has made such an assertion.
The comment echoes similar claims Trump has made in recent weeks, including a post on his Truth Social platform where he called the dam a “massive Ethiopian built dam stupidly financed by the United States of America.” He added that the dam “substantially reduces the water flowing into The Nile River.” Trump also remarked during the dinner that he had monitored the construction of the dam, calling it “massive,” and suggested that it was blocking the Nile’s waters in a way that “shouldn’t have happened.”
Ethiopia has swiftly rejected the former president’s comments. Aregawi Berhe, Director General of the Public Participation Coordination Office for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, strongly dismissed the claims as “groundless.” According to Berhe and other Ethiopian officials, GERD was funded primarily through domestic efforts, including crowdfunding, government bond sales, and public contributions a point of national pride for many Ethiopians.
The GERD, which began construction in 2010, is Africa’s largest hydroelectric power project and is set to be officially inaugurated in September 2025. It is designed to generate more than 6,000 megawatts of electricity, aiming to improve energy access across Ethiopia and potentially export power to neighboring countries.
While the dam is a source of national pride for Ethiopia, it remains a contentious issue in the region. Egypt and, to a lesser extent, Sudan have long voiced concerns that the dam could significantly reduce their share of Nile waters, upon which they are heavily dependent for drinking water, agriculture, and industry. Negotiations between Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan over the dam’s operation have repeatedly stalled over the years.
Political analysts caution that Trump’s repeated statements may be seen as aligning with Egypt’s stance on the dam and could strain diplomatic relations further. Some experts argue that the remarks could reflect an underlying political agenda aimed at appealing to Egyptian allies or positioning himself as a mediator in one of Africa’s most complex transboundary water disputes.
As Ethiopia prepares to celebrate the completion and commissioning of GERD, the government continues to reiterate that the project was wholly an Ethiopian endeavor, rooted in national sovereignty and funded by its citizens. Trump’s statements, however, add another layer of geopolitical friction to an already sensitive regional issue that has drawn global attention.
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