Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi is hoping to earn U.S. support for his country’s fight against Rwandan-backed rebels with a lucrative mineral deal. While the eyes of the world are focused on the war in Ukraine,

Mr. Trump has long demanded that NATO and other allies contribute more to their own defense. But the minerals agreement would represent a major escalation in his transactional approach to foreign policy. The United States was once seen as the world’s policeman, but to many analysts it now seems more like an extortionate Mafia kingpin.

The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo is pitching the U.S. and Europe on a minerals deal as the White House prepares to sign a similar pact with