The Trump administration is reportedly encouraging other countries to scale back on global humanitarian aid in favor of prioritizing American interests by investing in U.S. companies. This initiative, known as “trade over aid,” aims to leverage the United Nations platform to create business opportunities for American enterprises, according to recent reports.
A cable dispatched to all U.S. embassies and consulates outlines this strategy, emphasizing the promotion of “America First values.” The directive, as seen in a document reviewed by The Washington Post, instructs U.S. diplomats to issue a formal request, known as a démarche, to foreign governments by Monday, urging their support for this new approach.
The initiative is slated for introduction at the United Nations at the end of April, according to the cable content.
Devex was the first to break the story regarding the “trade over aid” plan and the internal State Department documents that elaborate on its framework.
According to one of the notes obtained by the outlet, “For decades, government aid has flowed from developed to developing nations with only limited impact.”
‘For decades, government aid has been flowing from developed to developing countries with only limited impact,’ according to one of the notes the outlet obtained.
‘It has not solved the world’s economic development challenges, and it has often created dependency, inefficiency, and corruption.’
‘Donors and developing countries are ready to try a new development aid model,’ the note continued.
The Trump administration wants to convince the world to favor supporting the private enterprise over government foreign aid to uplift developing nations, according to its ‘trade over aid’ initiative
Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered all US diplomats to issue a démarche – an official call to action – to all foreign nations by Monday that asks them to support the new initiative
Rubio said that the initiative will create new opportunities for American companies abroad
‘The old model has been government-centered and one-directional: aid flowed from donor to recipient countries. The new model emphasizes mutually profitable business relationships between private sectors and countries.’
The State Department also argued that private business has ‘developed all the world’s successful economies, not government aid’.
Sam Vigersky, an international affairs fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told The Post that the démarche from Rubio could be seen as another attempt from the US to undermine the UN.
‘Having been on the driving end of many démarches over my time, I would not see this being well received,’ he said.
This paradigm shift comes after the Trump administration dismantled the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which had been the world’s largest foreign aid agency.
USAID had a $25 billion annual budget and provided global health aid, food assistance, education programs and disaster relief to developing countries around the world.
The organization, founded in 1961, was also America’s way to softly promote democracy around the world.
President Donald Trump and his allies, including Elon Musk, have argued that USAID was rife with waste, fraud and abuse. Some have also argued that USAID’s efforts have led to nations being entirely dependent on the US.
Trump’s attempt to further spread his approach to government charity comes after his administration dismantled the US Agency for International Development (USAID)
USAID had a $25 billion annual budget and provided global health aid, food assistance, education programs and disaster relief to developing countries around the world
Even before Trump returned to power in 2025, Western nations including Germany, Sweden, Canada and Norway have been reducing foreign aid since at least 2022.
And since Trump’s proposed reordering of the global aid system, France, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom have largely followed suit.
Data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found that aid from its members has dropped by about 23 percent from 2024 to 2025.
The US drove ‘three-quarters of the decline’, according to the OECD report.
A study published in the Lancet in February found that countries stepping back from what was once considered a humanitarian responsibility could contribute to 9.4 million additional deaths by 2030.
Beyond upending diplomatic norms, Trump has also been attacking NATO countries for not sufficiently supporting his war effort in Iran.
‘NATO wasn’t there for us, and they won’t be there for us in the future!’ he posted to Truth Social on Tuesday.
Trump has long had it out with the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance, the military alliance between dozens of countries in Europe and North America that came about after the fall of Nazi Germany.
NATO has been the bedrock of the world order since 1949, when it was organized to counter aggression from the Soviet Union.
Under NATO’s collective defense principle, an attack on one member is considered an attack on all, though each country determines its own response. The alliance is widely credited with helping deter large-scale conflict in Europe since World War II.
Beyond upending diplomatic norms, Trump has also been attacking NATO countries for not sufficiently supporting his war effort in Iran (Pictured: An airstrike on an oil depot in Tehran on March 7, 2026)
France, Spain and other nations have agreed to help with an international coalition to open the Strait of Hormuz when the conflict ends
During Trump’s first term, he repeatedly criticized certain NATO members for failing to meet the alliance’s defense spending target of 2 percent of GDP.
It was part of his broader message at the time that the US – which spends around 3.3 percent of GDP on the military – should not be broadly responsible for the defense of Europe.
In Trump’s second term, his brushes with NATO have been more severe. His talk of using the American military to annex Greenland, a Danish territory, has prompted NATO members to ramp up military exercises and increase their presence in the Arctic amid rising tensions.
Now, NATO allies have largely declined to join US-led military operations against Iran, while continuing to offer limited defensive and diplomatic support, further angering Trump.
Some allies have also placed limits on US operations. Spain has restricted the use of its bases for missions tied to Iran, while the UK has imposed conditions on how American forces can operate from its territory.
Trump has openly floated leaving NATO. He has also proposed moving US troops stationed in NATO countries that have largely stayed out of the Iran campaign.
France, Spain and other nations have agreed to help with an international coalition to open the Strait of Hormuz when the conflict ends.
