US President Donald Trump confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with explosive false claims of white genocide and land seizures during a tense White House meeting.
Trump played a video consisting mostly of years-old clips of inflammatory speeches by some South African politicians and displayed printed copies of articles that he said showed white South Africans who had been killed, saying “death, death” as he flipped through them.
Ramaphosa pushed back against Trump’s claims, remaining poised as he responded, “If there was Afrikaner farmer genocide, I can bet you, these three gentlemen would not be here,” referring to golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen and billionaire Johann Rupert, all white, who were present in the room.
Ramaphosa added that crime in South Africa affects all communities, with the majority of victims being Black. Trump cut him off, saying, “The farmers are not Black.” Ramaphosa responded, “These are concerns we are willing to talk to you about.” Despite the tension, Ramaphosa sought to focus on trade, discussing critical minerals in South Africa and a potential trade and investment proposal with the US.
The meeting highlighted the strained relations between the two countries, with Trump previously canceling aid to South Africa and expelling its ambassador.
The myth of white genocide in South Africa has become a rallying point for the far right in the United States and elsewhere.
