Inside President Ruto's Call with Trump After His Victory in the US Election

President William Ruto

President William Ruto spoke with U.S. President-Elect Donald J. Trump by phone on Friday, November 8 after Trump’s election as the 47th President of the United States.

In a statement, Ruto shared that the call focused on several important areas of mutual interest between Kenya and the United States.

"I have had a telephone conversation with US President-Elect Donald J. Trump. I congratulated him following his election as the 47th President of the United States of America. We discussed areas of mutual interest that are of benefit to the citizens of our two countries, including trade and investment, security and good governance," Ruto said.

Ruto also touched on Kenya’s current leadership role in the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in Haiti, briefing Trump on the mission’s progress and looking for ways the U.S. might support Kenya’s efforts there. 

The Kenya-led mission is part of a larger global push to stabilize Haiti and provide humanitarian aid.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump

This conversation with Trump took place just one day after Ruto held similar discussions with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the Kenya-led mission in Haiti. 

In an update on Thursday, November 7, Ruto said that he and Blinken discussed transitioning the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti into a UN peacekeeping operation.

“I have had a constructive conversation with US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on the Kenya-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in Haiti,” Ruto shared on X, adding, “We discussed the transition of the mission into a UN peacekeeping operation to enhance the capability of the mission to help stabilize.”

Ruto also noted that Kenya and the U.S. are continuing to collaborate on governance improvements, including anti-corruption efforts and strengthening Kenya’s security institutions to make them more efficient, effective, and accountable.