US President Donald Trump has revived his old playbook—this time with sharper edges. Addressing senior military officials in Washington, the US president declared that the era of America "policing the far reaches of Kenya and Somalia" is over.

"After spending trillions of dollars defending the borders of foreign countries, we're defending the borders of our country from now on," he said to a roomful of generals, striking a familiar "America First" tone that rattled allies.

Trump's remarks signalled a decisive inward turn, reprioritising domestic defence over international commitments.

"We've brought back the fundamental principle that defending the homeland is the military's first and most important priority," he added—a not-so-subtle critique of Washington's previous global entanglements.

The timing of the comments was striking. They came the same day the UN Security Council approved a resolution transitioning Kenya's police-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) in Haiti into a more heavily armed "Gang Suppression Force."

For Nairobi, a recently designated major non-NATO ally, Trump's statement sounded like a warning: future US support for allied interventions may not be guaranteed.

Kenya has long aligned itself with US priorities, from counterterrorism operations in East Africa to leading the Haiti mission under a Democrat administration.

But Trump's message suggests that even close partners may soon need to fend for themselves. Washington, while backing the UN's Haiti transition plan, has quietly insisted it will no longer "carry the lion's share" of the mission's cost.

"We cannot continue to carry the bulk of the financial burden," Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said.

Trump's remarks, come days after President William Ruto criticized the United States and the international community for failing to honor pledges made to Haiti’s security mission.

Ruto voiced concern over the safety of the Kenyan police officers, saying they are forced to use second-hand vehicles that often break down in dangerous zones.

Speaking at a High-Level Meeting on Haiti in New York on September 22, 2025, Ruto disclosed that the mission has been operating at just 40 per cent of its intended strength. While the plan was to deploy 2,500 officers, fewer than 1,000 are currently in the field.

Of the 989 officers present, 735 are from Kenya, 150 from Guatemala, 78 from El Salvador, 23 from Jamaica, three from the Bahamas, and one from Canada.

The Kenyan Head of State sharply criticised the United States (US) government under President Donald Trump, singling out the country for providing vehicles that are of low quality towards the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission.

"It was expected that there would be force multipliers such as armoured personnel carriers and enough logistical support to make this mission successful. The United States did provide vehicles, but unfortunately, most of them were second-hand. They broke down many times, often in dangerous places, which put our personnel at great risk." said Ruto.