Egyptian officials and analysts have reacted positively to recent comments by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the long-standing Nile water dispute with Ethiopia. Speaking at the White House alongside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Trump voiced support for Egypt’s position and expressed his willingness to mediate a resolution over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
“If I were Egypt, I’d want water in the Nile,” Trump said, highlighting Egypt’s heavy dependence on the river, which supplies over 97% of its freshwater. He criticized the Ethiopian dam project for limiting the flow of Nile water, reiterating a claim he made in June that previous U.S. administrations funded the dam, which he believes adversely affects Egypt.
Ethiopia, however, has maintained that the GERD is entirely financed by its citizens and domestic resources, denying any foreign funding.
Egypt has long called for a legally binding agreement on how the dam is filled and operated. Despite more than a decade of trilateral negotiations involving Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan, no final deal has been reached. Egypt accuses Ethiopia of acting unilaterally and not honoring previous agreements such as the 2015 Declaration of Principles.
In December 2023, Egypt formally withdrew from the latest round of talks, citing a lack of progress and accusing Ethiopia of stalling until the dam becomes fully operational.
Trump’s renewed attention to the issue has reignited public debate in Egypt, with some fearing that any diplomatic engagement may involve political trade-offs, while others hope U.S. involvement could add pressure on Ethiopia to reach a settlement.