I really liked how you pointed out that America genuinely thinks he’s helping when he’s giving aid. I’ve seen people depict him as someone who’s motivated purely by self-interest

As mentioned in previous posts, for the most part, America is characterized as someone who’s young, inexperienced, and naïve. 

Like you said, he does genuinely think that he’s helping “the little guys” while the pragmatic outcomes of said policies aren’t as clean-cut [x]. 

On the other hand, he is aware that he’ll stand to benefit from helping others too.

The point to reiterate is that he doesn’t seem to be conscious of the negative consequences of his actions until after the fact. He’s impulsive (e.g., the Great Depression and African Warfront strips), and a lot of this is reflective of how American foreign policy has historically been like. 

As I’ve mentioned before, the rhetoric says one thing—which is what the population and America the personification believes is its aim—and the outcome is reflective of the true motives of those in office.