How to talk to Trump, according to a key ally
Mbongeni Mguni | Tuesday July 8, 2025 09:32
President Duma Boko recently said he was prepared to drop everything and rush to the United States in the event that the administration there indicated it was open to trade talks. Under the calculations made by the U.S government, Botswana could face a tariff of 37% on its goods to the world’s single richest market.
While Botswana’s diamonds are sold through a network of value added centres in countries such as India, China, Israel and the European Union, there is a level of direct, albeit small, exports to the U.S. Each of these other centres are individually negotiating trade deals with the Trump administration to varying degrees of success.
Officially, Trump’s global trade tariffs are due to kick off on July 8, although in recent days there has been speculation in the U.S that the date could be pushed forward to allow more time for talks.
For Botswana, key exports include locally made jewellery, some level of textiles and handcrafts such as curios. While the U.S is not a major direct export market for Botswana, trade officials take a long-term view of such agreements, knowing it is critical to have as many avenues open for trade in order to both attract investment into various domestic sectors and also to lay the ground for local business expansions under an export-led economy.
Recently while on an official assignment in Washington DC, top officials from the Finance Ministry tried twice and failed to secure a meeting with U.S officials on the tariffs. Boko said he was ready to meet Trump at the drop of a hat, expressing confidence of a positive outcome, given his earlier successful meeting with Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
“I met with Rubio and you may have seen he was hysteric about it saying it was the best meeting he has had,” Boko said. “Just wait till I meet Trump himself and after I have met him, wait for his tweets. “We have asked for zero tariffs. “If nothing happens by July 8, we will see the tariffs reinstated or taking effect and we are working around the clock.”
He added: “If the message comes to say ‘Trump says let’s meet,’ I will leave immediately to represent and defend the interests of Botswana.”
Jason Miller is widely recognised as Trump’s right-hand man and a key adviser in his 2016, 2020 and 2024 election campaigns. Miller, a communications strategist, political adviser and CEO, told more than 3,000 delegates at the Afreximbank Annual Meetings held in Abuja, Nigeria last week, that there was an art to having conversations with Trump, holding his attention and securing mutual ground. “Now, one thing I would say is that any leader going to meet with President Trump, and again, this could be from Africa, this could be the President of Ukraine, it could be any leader, would be well served to do a couple of basic things before the meeting. “Number one, you want to follow his social media account. The great thing about President Trump is that he's transparent. “He tells you exactly what he's thinking. You do not have to guess about where you're standing or what's going on. “Second, President Trump is not someone who I would set up a meeting to go talk to just to get a photo and say that you've met President Trump,” said Miller.
Thorough preparation is key before meeting Trump, said the key ally.
“If you go in and have a meeting with President Trump, he is going to have a very specific set of questions and asks and things that he's going to want to raise with you. “A leader should know what those are going to be before they go and sit down. “And, the leaders who are going to sit down with the President should also be prepared with their own asks as well. “They should have what they want to bring up to President Trump because, again, life is too short. “We have a finite number of days with President Trump in the White House.”
Miller said Trump is a man of action who prefers engaging quickly and directly on issues, rather than posing for photo opportunities or engaging in diplomatic small talk.
“We saw, for example, that when he was in Canada in the G7 and he left early because he's like, ‘you know, we have to bring about world peace. I don't want to sit around doing photos with people’. “The President is very much about action, but I would say do your homework before you have a meeting with President Trump. “Make sure that you know what the President of the U.S. is going to want to ask and discuss and be prepared. And follow his Truth Social. Follow Truth Social.”
According to Miller, Truth Social, the social media platform established by Trump in 2022, enables real-time insights into how the U.S President is thinking and his views on various subjects.
“If you're someone who's involved with the markets, if you're someone who's involved with investments, doing business and trade with the U.S., you want to follow President Trump on social media because he's going to tell you exactly what he's thinking pretty much in real time,” Miller said.
With the July 8 deadline looming, Boko and his lieutenants will be finalising their plans and making calls to have the crucial engagement with the U.S engagement take place. The meeting with Rubio and the positive engagement from there will stand Boko in good stead.