Ibrahim Traoré Shocks the World — Destroys Trump’s Ego Live on TV

When Donald Trump challenged Ibrahim Traoré to a live debate, he expected an easy win. Instead, the young African leader dismantled him with facts, poise, and precision—on live TV, before the entire world. What followed was a global reckoning of power, ego, and the rise of a new kind of leadership. This is the moment Trump was humbled… and Traoré became a legend.

Ibrahim Traoré (French pronunciation: [ibʁaim tʁaɔʁe]; born 14 March 1988) is a Burkinabé military officer and politician who has served as the interim President of Burkina Faso since 2022. Traoré took control of Burkina Faso in September 2022, ousting interim president Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba in a coup d’état.

Aged 37, he is currently the second-youngest head of state in the world. During his tenure, Traoré has sought to distance the country from its former colonial power, France, and played an instrumental role in founding the Alliance of Sahel States.

Early Life:

Ibrahim Traoré was born in Kéra, Bondokuy, Mouhoun Province, on 14 March 1988. After receiving his primary education in Bondokuy, he attended a high school in Bobo-Dioulasso, the second-largest city in Burkina Faso, where he was known as being “quiet” and “very talented.” From 2006, he studied geology at the University of Ouagadougou. He was part of the Association of Muslim Students and the Marxist National Association of Students of Burkina Faso (ANEB). In the latter, he rose to delegate and became known for defending his classmates in disputes. He graduated from the university with honours.

Military Career:

Traoré joined the Army of Burkina Faso in 2009, and graduated from the Georges-Namoano Military Academy. He was sent to Morocco for anti-aircraft training before being transferred to an infantry unit in Kaya, a town in northern Burkina Faso. Promoted to lieutenant in 2014, Traoré joined MINUSMA, a United Nations peacekeeping force involved in the Mali War. In 2018, he was cited as one of the MINUSMA soldiers who “showed courage” during major rebel attacks in the Tombouctou Region. He subsequently returned to Burkina Faso where he assisted in operations against the escalating jihadist insurgency. Traoré fought at Djibo,  in the “Otapuanu offensive” of 2019, and several other counter-insurgency operations in the country’s north.

He was promoted to captain in 2020. Traoré later said that he became disillusioned with his country’s leadership around this time, as he saw the widespread lack of equipment of Burkinabe soldiers, while politicians were handing out “suitcases of money” for bribery. He gradually became the spokesman for soldiers stationed in the north who were frustrated over their government.

Rise To Power:

Traoré was part of the group of army officers that supported the January 2022 Burkina Faso coup d’état and brought the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration military junta to power. From March 2022, he served as the head of an artillery regiment in Kaya. Whether he was ever associated with the “Cobra” special forces, a counterterrorist unit founded in 2019, is disputed. According to the BBC, Al Jazeera, and Die Tageszeitung, he was part of the unit at some point. However, the news magazine Jeune Afrique stated that he was never associated with the “Cobras.”

Many supporters of the January coup became dissatisfied with the performance of Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, the junta’s leader, regarding his inability to contain the jihadist insurgency. Traoré later said that he and other officers had tried to get Damiba to “refocus” on the rebellion, but eventually opted to overthrow him as “his ambitions were diverting away from what we set out to do.” The dissatisfaction about the situation was highest among younger officers who fought against the rebels at the frontlines. In addition, there were delays in pay for the “Cobra” troops.

When the plotters launched their coup on 30 September, Traoré still held the rank of Captain. The operation was carried out with support of the “Cobra” unit. In the direct aftermath of the coup, Traoré was chosen as the new head of the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration. On 6 October, he also assumed the position of Interim President as “Head of State, Supreme Head of the Armed Forces.” He initially promised to hold democratic elections in July 2024. To read more go to the link below: