The first Donald Trump administration’s initiative to end the HIV epidemic in the United States by 2030 was a bold and visionary goal, and, if his next administration follows through, will be a legacy that will rank among the most important American public health achievements.
Achieving this goal in the U.S. also offers a rare historic opportunity to clench a global legacy that will create lasting health, economic, and social impacts for generations to come: the beginning of the first AIDS-free generation in 50 years. Both these domestic and global goals are achievable if American leadership and financial innovators step up.
There are three major reasons why the next administration should prioritize eliminating HIV worldwide and redouble efforts to secure a global health legacy: saving millions of lives and ending HIV as a public health threat; driving economic growth and resilience; and investing in health systems to safeguard public health beyond HIV.
About the authors
John Simon
John Simon is co-founder and managing partner of Total Impact Capital, or TOTAL. He previously served as the United States ambassador to the African Union, the executive vice president of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and special assistant to the president for relief, stabilization, and development.
Adnan Kifayat
Adnan Kifayat is founder of Blueprint Strategies, LLC, and most recently served as the global lead for HIV therapeutic area for Gilead Sciences government affairs. He is an adviser to the Center on Economic and Financial Power of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. He served twice on the National Security Council staff and as alternate executive director to the African Development Bank under U.S. President George W. Bush. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
