Washington/Kinshasa — U.S. President Donald Trump praised Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi as a “very, very brave and wonderful man” during the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, highlighting the Congolese leader’s role in regional peace efforts and a major U.S.-backed minerals deal.
Speaking to an audience of lawmakers, diplomats and faith leaders, Trump singled out Tshisekedi for applause and credited him with helping steer a fragile peace process in the conflict-prone Great Lakes region.
“We’re joined today by a very, very brave and wonderful man, the president of the Congo,” Trump said. “You’re a brave man. I know what you’ve been through… It’s working out okay.”
Trump referred to what he described as a historic Washington-brokered peace agreement between Congo and Rwanda, saying it offered “the first-ever pathway to peace to end a 30-year, unbelievably violent conflict.”
“Every once in a while, I have to call them both back, but it’s working out okay,” he added, suggesting ongoing U.S. diplomatic involvement.
Trump also underscored economic ties, saying the U.S. and Congo had signed “the largest minerals deal in U.S.-Africa history,” aimed at boosting American investment in the central African nation’s vast resource sector.
“Congo has magnificent land… We’ve signed the largest deal with some of our big companies, and they’re going in,” he said.
The comments reflect Washington’s growing interest in Congo’s mineral wealth, particularly cobalt, copper and other critical materials used in electric vehicles, battery storage and renewable energy technologies. Congo produces about 70% of the world’s cobalt and is Africa’s largest copper exporter, making it central to global energy-transition supply chains.
The U.S. and its allies have been trying to counter China’s dominance in the processing and financing of African minerals by backing new investments and regional infrastructure corridors.
Trump’s remarks came as Tshisekedi continued a series of meetings in Washington with U.S. lawmakers and officials to discuss security in eastern Congo, where fighting involving the M23 rebel group and other militias has displaced more than 7 million people, according to the United Nations.
Kinshasa has sought stronger U.S. backing for the implementation of the Washington peace framework and for the protection of civilians in the mineral-rich eastern provinces.
The public praise from Trump also landed on the same day that Rwandan President Paul Kagame reportedly criticized the international community for treating Tshisekedi like a “spoiled child,” underscoring the deep political tensions that continue to shadow the peace process.
Tshisekedi’s visit to Washington signals Congo’s push to reposition itself as a key U.S. partner in both regional security and critical-minerals supply chains, as global powers compete for influence in Africa’s resource-rich economies.
Congolese officials say the emerging partnership is intended to support peace, attract investment into local mineral processing, and increase state revenues, while preserving the country’s territorial integrity.
The warm reception at the Prayer Breakfast highlighted the personal diplomacy underpinning that effort, even as the success of the peace deal and minerals strategy remains closely tied to stability in eastern Congo.
Speaking to an audience of lawmakers, diplomats and faith leaders, Trump singled out Tshisekedi for applause and credited him with helping steer a fragile peace process in the conflict-prone Great Lakes region.
“We’re joined today by a very, very brave and wonderful man, the president of the Congo,” Trump said. “You’re a brave man. I know what you’ve been through… It’s working out okay.”
Trump referred to what he described as a historic Washington-brokered peace agreement between Congo and Rwanda, saying it offered “the first-ever pathway to peace to end a 30-year, unbelievably violent conflict.”
“Every once in a while, I have to call them both back, but it’s working out okay,” he added, suggesting ongoing U.S. diplomatic involvement.
Trump also underscored economic ties, saying the U.S. and Congo had signed “the largest minerals deal in U.S.-Africa history,” aimed at boosting American investment in the central African nation’s vast resource sector.
“Congo has magnificent land… We’ve signed the largest deal with some of our big companies, and they’re going in,” he said.
The comments reflect Washington’s growing interest in Congo’s mineral wealth, particularly cobalt, copper and other critical materials used in electric vehicles, battery storage and renewable energy technologies. Congo produces about 70% of the world’s cobalt and is Africa’s largest copper exporter, making it central to global energy-transition supply chains.
The U.S. and its allies have been trying to counter China’s dominance in the processing and financing of African minerals by backing new investments and regional infrastructure corridors.
Trump’s remarks came as Tshisekedi continued a series of meetings in Washington with U.S. lawmakers and officials to discuss security in eastern Congo, where fighting involving the M23 rebel group and other militias has displaced more than 7 million people, according to the United Nations.
Kinshasa has sought stronger U.S. backing for the implementation of the Washington peace framework and for the protection of civilians in the mineral-rich eastern provinces.
The public praise from Trump also landed on the same day that Rwandan President Paul Kagame reportedly criticized the international community for treating Tshisekedi like a “spoiled child,” underscoring the deep political tensions that continue to shadow the peace process.
Tshisekedi’s visit to Washington signals Congo’s push to reposition itself as a key U.S. partner in both regional security and critical-minerals supply chains, as global powers compete for influence in Africa’s resource-rich economies.
Congolese officials say the emerging partnership is intended to support peace, attract investment into local mineral processing, and increase state revenues, while preserving the country’s territorial integrity.
The warm reception at the Prayer Breakfast highlighted the personal diplomacy underpinning that effort, even as the success of the peace deal and minerals strategy remains closely tied to stability in eastern Congo.