View the moment Trump confronts South Africa’s president with a video
During a meeting at the White House on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump showed his South African counterpart a video that he claimed supported his assertion that white farmers were facing persecution in the country.
The video, played during a press conference with Cyril Ramaphosa, depicted thousands of crosses along a road that Trump said indicated burial sites for murdered white farmers.
Although Trump admitted he did not know the exact location in South Africa where the footage was captured, it has not been confirmed by the BBC.
Ramaphosa, after carefully considering his response, refuted Trump’s claim. He argued that black individuals were more likely to be victims of violence in South Africa than white individuals.
Additionally, Trump mentioned that he planned to inquire about allegations of white “genocide” in South Africa, which have been widely debunked.
Ramaphosa visited the White House for trade discussions to enhance US-South African relations. He had aimed to impress Trump by including two prominent South African golfers in the delegation. Ramaphosa also presented Trump with a large book showcasing his country’s golf courses as a gift.
Despite a friendly beginning, the atmosphere in the Oval Office shifted when Trump requested the lights be dimmed to play the video.
The video featured the voice of Julius Malema, a leading South African opposition figure, singing a song called “Shoot the Boer [Afrikaner], Shoot the farmer.” It also displayed a field of crosses, which Trump, talking over the images, claimed was a burial site of white farmers. A tweet within the video clarified that the crosses were part of a protest, not graves, stating that they symbolized farmers who had been killed.
Following this, Trump handed Ramaphosa what appeared to be printed stories of white individuals being attacked in South Africa.
In response, Ramaphosa stated, “What you witnessed – the speeches that were made… that is not government policy. We have a multi-party democracy in South Africa that allows individuals to express themselves.”
Watch: Trump welcomes South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa to the White House
Regarding the crosses shown in the video, Trump later remarked, “The farmers are not black. I’m not saying that’s good or bad, but the farmers are not black…”
Ramaphosa responded by expressing his hope that Trump would listen to the perspectives of South Africans on this matter.
The South African leader highlighted the white members of his delegation, including golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, as well as South Africa’s wealthiest individual Johann Rupert.
Ramaphosa said, “If there was a genocide, these three gentlemen would not be here.”
Trump interjected, “But you permit them to take land, and when they do, they kill the white farmer, and nothing happens to them when they do.”
“No,” Ramaphosa replied.
Trump seemed to be referencing a controversial law signed by Ramaphosa earlier in the year that allows the government to confiscate privately-owned land under certain circumstances without compensation. The South African government maintains that no land has been seized under the legislation yet.
When conversing with Trump on Wednesday, Ramaphosa acknowledged that there is “criminality in our country… people who are killed due to criminal activities are not only white individuals, the majority are black individuals.”
Despite Trump persisting on the issue, Ramaphosa remained composed and attempted to lighten the mood by joking about offering a plane to the US.
He invoked the name of anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, emphasizing that South Africa remains committed to racial reconciliation.
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South Africa Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen was invited to share the experiences of farmers
When a reporter inquired about the potential consequences if white farmers left South Africa, Ramaphosa redirected the question to his white agriculture minister, John Steenhuisen, who mentioned that most farmers wished to remain.
Nevertheless, Trump continued to challenge Ramaphosa, who refrained from engaging in a shouting match with him – a situation that occurred when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Trump in the same room in February.
A group of 59 white South Africans arrived in the US earlier this month and were granted refugee status. Ramaphosa referred to them as “cowards” at the time.
Prior to the White House meeting on Wednesday, South Africa’s leader emphasized that enhancing trade relations with the US was his primary objective.
South African exports to the US face a 30% tariff once Trump’s temporary suspension of new import duties concludes in July.
Following the confrontation, Malema ridiculed the meeting, describing it as “a group of older men meeting in Washington to gossip about me.”
“There has been no significant intelligence evidence presented regarding white genocide. We will not compromise our political principles on land expropriation without compensation for political expediency,” he posted on X.
Watch: Rubio and Kaine debate white South African refugees
Tensions between South Africa and the US escalated shortly after Trump began his second term in January.
Fue en ese momento cuando Ramaphosa firmó en ley el polémico proyecto de ley que permite al gobierno de Sudáfrica expropiar tierras de propiedad privada en casos en que se considere “equitativo y en interés público”. El movimiento solo sirvió para manchar la imagen de la mayor economía de África a los ojos de la administración Trump, ya enojada por su caso de genocidio contra Israel en la Corte Internacional de Justicia. En febrero, el presidente de EE. UU. anunció la suspensión de ayuda crítica a Sudáfrica y ofreció permitir a miembros de la comunidad afrikáner, en su mayoría descendientes blancos de colonos holandeses y franceses tempranos, instalarse en EE. UU. como refugiados. El embajador de Sudáfrica en Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, también fue expulsado en marzo después de acusar a Trump de “movilizar un supremacismo” e intentar “proyectar la victimización blanca como un silbato para perros”. Información adicional de Khanyisile Ngcobo y Farouk Chothia.