Trump confronts South African leader over Afrikaners in a high-stakes White House meeting that quickly escalated into a diplomatic standoff. What was meant to repair US-South Africa relations turned confrontational as President Donald Trump challenged President Cyril Ramaphosa with widely discredited claims of a “white genocide.”
The meeting followed the recent US decision to grant asylum to nearly 60 Afrikaners—white South Africans of Dutch and French descent. This move outraged officials in Pretoria and added fuel to an already smoldering relationship.
During the meeting, Trump unexpectedly played a video showing white crosses along a rural road. He claimed they represented graves of murdered white farmers. However, the footage was from a 2020 protest in KwaZulu-Natal and did not depict actual burial sites.
Trump then demanded answers, citing what he called systemic violence against Afrikaners. Ramaphosa, maintaining composure, dismissed the video’s message. “That is not government policy,” he said. “We are a democracy with multiple voices. Malema’s party does not represent the state.”
Still, Trump confronts South African leader over Afrikaners by pressing accusations linked to land reform. He referenced South Africa’s new land expropriation law, signed by Ramaphosa, which allows the state to seize land without compensation in certain conditions. Despite the law, the South African government has not implemented any seizures.
Ramaphosa pointed to white delegates in the room—including renowned golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen—as proof against Trump’s claims. “If there were a genocide, these gentlemen would not be here,” he stated.
Trump dismissed the response, alleging that white farmers are stripped of land and targeted without legal recourse. Ramaphosa refuted this and highlighted that most violence in South Africa stems from general criminal activity.
Official data supports Ramaphosa. Nearly 10,000 people were murdered in South Africa between October and December 2024. Of these, only 12 were linked to farm attacks, and just one victim was a farmer.
Trump confronts South African leader over Afrikaners in the broader context of escalating tensions. Earlier this year, Trump suspended US aid to South Africa and expelled its ambassador following harsh criticisms of US refugee policy and land reform opposition.
Ramaphosa previously called the Afrikaner asylum seekers “cowards.” Trump countered by asserting America’s duty to protect “those in danger.”
Julius Malema, the South African opposition figure shown in Trump’s video, mocked the incident. “A group of older men gossiping about me,” he wrote on X.
Former US Ambassador Patrick Gaspard labeled the encounter a political “trap.” He claimed it aimed to humiliate Ramaphosa and cast South Africa in a negative light.
South African Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, present during the meeting, clarified that most white farmers have no intention of leaving the country.
Afriforum CEO Kallie Kriel denied producing the controversial video but defended its contents. “There are real issues to address,” she said. “The video made that clear.”
Trump confronts South African leader over Afrikaners at a pivotal time for both nations. The episode underscores rising diplomatic pressure over land rights, refugee admissions, and racial rhetoric in international relations.
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