SYRACUSE, New York — U.S. President Donald Trump has reignited controversy over Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), claiming that the project took all the water from the Nile River and was financed by the United States.
Speaking at a rally in Syracuse on Friday, October 9, Trump criticized the construction of the massive dam on the Blue Nile and referred to the longstanding dispute between Ethiopia and Egypt over access to the river’s water.
“Ethiopia built that dam, one of the biggest in the world. Financed, of course, by America,” Trump said, describing the project as a mistake. He also claimed that Ethiopia had taken all the water from the Nile.
However, Ethiopia has consistently maintained that the dam was financed primarily through domestic resources, including government funding, bond sales and contributions from Ethiopian citizens and the diaspora. There is no established evidence that the United States financed the dam’s construction.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, inaugurated in September 2025, is Africa’s largest hydroelectric project. It was built to generate electricity and support Ethiopia’s economic development. Although its reservoir stores substantial quantities of water, the dam is designed to generate electricity as water passes through its turbines and continues downstream. Therefore, the claim that Ethiopia has taken all the Nile’s water is an exaggeration.
Egypt, which depends heavily on the Nile for freshwater, has repeatedly expressed concerns about the dam’s potential impact on its water supply, particularly during prolonged droughts and periods of low rainfall. Sudan is also involved in the dispute, with the three countries yet to reach a comprehensive, binding agreement on the dam’s filling and long-term operation.
Trump has previously referred to the dispute as part of his diplomatic record and expressed interest in resolving the disagreement between Egypt and Ethiopia.
His latest remarks are likely to renew debate over Nile water security, regional cooperation and the role of the United States in one of Africa’s most significant water disputes.
