Trump just said Ethiopia’s dam left the Nile with no water. – During a rally in Syracuse last night, he brought up the long fight between Ethiopia and Egypt over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. He claimed Ethiopia built one of the biggest dams in the world, that the U.S. paid for it, and that they “took all the water from the Nile River.”
Here’s what he said:
“Ethiopia built that dam, one of the biggest in the world. Financed of course by America and stupid thing to do. And they took all the water from a thing a place called the Nile River. You know, it’s not too good if you’re Egypt and the Nile River has no water in it, but I worked that out.”
This isn’t the first time he’s said something like this. He’s repeated versions of it throughout the year, often while talking about deals he says he nearly finished in his first term.
Ethiopia has strongly denied the funding claim. Officials say the dam was paid for almost entirely by Ethiopians through government money, bonds, and public contributions no U.S. financing. They’ve also pointed out that it’s a hydropower dam, so the water still flows downstream after it runs through the turbines. The “no water left” line is widely seen as an exaggeration.
Egypt still sees the dam as a serious threat to its water supply, especially if there’s a drought and no clear agreement on how the dam is operated. The two countries (plus Sudan) have never reached a binding deal on that.
The dam has been generating power since 2025. Trump’s latest comments came while he was campaigning for Republicans in New York.