EGYPT · ETHIOPIA · NILE
Key Facts
- —What happened Trump called US funding of Ethiopia’s Nile dam a “stupid thing.”
- —When and where A midterm campaign rally in Syracuse, New York, on Friday, 9 October.
- —His claim He said Ethiopia “took all the water” from the Nile River.
- —Ethiopia’s position Abiy Ahmed says no foreign loans or aid built the dam.
- —Still open No official reaction from Cairo or Addis Ababa by Saturday evening.
A one-minute aside at a New York campaign rally put the Ethiopia Nile dam dispute back into Egyptian headlines on Saturday.
US President Donald Trump told a rally in Syracuse, New York, on Friday, 9 October, that America financed the Ethiopia Nile dam. He called that a “stupid thing to do” and said Ethiopia “took all the water” from the Nile River.
The remarks matter because Egypt, a close US security partner, sees the dam as a threat to its main water source. Ethiopia rejects that view, and its prime minister has already denied that any foreign money built the project.
What Trump Said in Syracuse
Trump listed conflicts he says he has settled, the proofread transcript from Factba.se, a Roll Call service, shows. “Egypt and Ethiopia over the dam,” he said.
“They have a big dam project in — Ethiopia, built a dam, one of the biggest in the world,” he continued. “Financed, of course, by America and stupid thing to do.”
He then added: “And they took all the water from a place called the Nile River.”
Trump went on: “You know, it’s not too good if you’re Egypt.” He said “the Nile River has no water in it but I worked that out.”
The transcript dates the speech to Friday, 9 October, and lists it as a midterm political rally. Earlier in the same speech, Trump said he had “settled eight wars” and commented on the Nobel Peace Prize announced that day.
How Egyptian Media Picked It Up
The Cairo daily Al-Masry Al-Youm, one of Egypt’s largest private newspapers, published the remarks at 15:41 Cairo time on Saturday. It said Trump had “repeated his criticism of Ethiopia” at an election rally in Syracuse on Friday evening.
The paper embedded a 30-second clip posted by the Saudi-owned channel Al Arabiya at 06:20 GMT on Saturday. The footage carries the on-screen caption “President Trump speaks in Syracuse, NY,” which rules out a recycled older clip.
Al-Masry Al-Youm also noted that Trump’s first administration had tried to broker a deal among Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan. Those talks sought rules for filling and running the reservoir, but no binding agreement followed.
Who Paid for the Dam
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam sits on the Blue Nile in western Ethiopia, near the border with Sudan. The Egyptian news site Masrawy puts its cost at about US$4 billion and its capacity at 5,150 megawatts.
That output would make it Africa’s largest hydropower plant, Masrawy reported. For scale, the Hoover Dam in the United States has a capacity of about 2,080 megawatts.
Trump made the same funding claim at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, according to Masrawy. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed answered it in a speech to parliament in early February.
Abiy said Ethiopia did not get “a single birr in loans or financial aid from any foreign source” for it. He credited the “strong commitment” of Ethiopians at home and abroad, Masrawy reported in Arabic.
Why the Nile Dispute Runs So Deep
Egypt, a country of more than 100 million people, depends on the Nile for nearly all its fresh water. Cairo fears that Ethiopia could cut flows in dry years by holding back water upstream.
Ethiopia says the dam is a power project that returns the water downstream after it passes the turbines. Addis Ababa sees it as a symbol of national development, built without foreign donors.
Sudan, which sits between the two, has swung between both camps over the past decade. Its civil war since April 2023 has largely removed it from the diplomatic track.
What It Means for US Readers
The US State Department says Washington has given Egypt more than US$50 billion in military aid since 1978. Egypt also controls the Suez Canal, a key route for oil tankers and container ships heading to US and European ports.
Any sign that Washington leans toward Cairo on the Nile can harden positions in Addis Ababa. That matters for US policy in the Horn of Africa, where Ethiopia is the most populous country.
Trump’s claim that America financed the dam is disputed by Ethiopia’s government. No US agency has published figures showing US funding for its construction.
What Is Not Known
Trump did not explain what he meant by “I worked that out.” No new agreement among Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan has been announced.
Neither Egypt’s nor Ethiopia’s foreign ministry had published a reaction by Saturday evening. Both ministries’ websites could not be reached when checked.
It is also unclear which US funding Trump had in mind. The White House has not posted a transcript of the Syracuse rally.
What Comes Next
Watch for statements from Egypt’s foreign ministry and Ethiopia’s government in the coming days. The remarks do not signal a change in US policy unless the administration follows them with a formal step.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Trump say about the Ethiopia Nile dam?
He said the dam was financed by America and called that a stupid thing to do. He also said Ethiopia took all the water from the Nile River.
When and where did he say it?
He spoke at a midterm campaign rally in Syracuse, New York, on Friday, 9 October 2026.
Did the United States pay for the dam?
Ethiopia says no. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told parliament in February that no foreign loans or aid were used to build it.
Why does Egypt object to the dam?
Egypt relies on the Nile for nearly all its fresh water. It fears Ethiopia could reduce downstream flows during droughts.
Have Egypt or Ethiopia responded?
Neither foreign ministry had published a reaction by Saturday evening, 10 October.
Sources: Factba.se (Roll Call), transcript of the Syracuse rally, 9 October 2026; Al-Masry Al-Youm; Al Arabiya video clip; Masrawy; US State Department, US relations with Egypt (all accessed 10 October 2026).
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
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