Trump opposes S-African leader on ‘white genocide’
(MENAFN) During a White House meeting meant to focus on trade and bilateral relations, U.S. President Donald Trump confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with accusations of violence and discrimination against white farmers. The unexpected shift in discussion came after a journalist questioned Trump on his belief in “white genocide” in South Africa.
Ramaphosa urged the importance of listening to a broad range of U.S. perspectives. In response, Trump insisted he had “thousands of stories” on the issue and directed staff to dim the lights and play a five-minute video montage. The footage featured inflammatory remarks by South African opposition figures and alleged scenes of white farmers' graves. Trump also presented a stack of printed articles, declaring them proof of widespread violence, commenting, “death, death, death, horrible death.”
Trump argued that white South Africans are fleeing for safety, citing laws that allow land expropriation without compensation as evidence of state-backed persecution. Ramaphosa pushed back, emphasizing that South Africa is a diverse democracy where crime affects all racial groups, and the individuals in the video did not represent his government’s position. He maintained that there is no racially targeted campaign against whites.
Trump, however, asserted that many Afrikaners are seeking U.S. asylum and promised to expedite their naturalization, labeling them victims of “genocide.” Tensions between Washington and Pretoria have intensified since Trump’s return to office in January, particularly over land reform policies that the U.S. claims marginalize white minorities.
South Africa has defended its land redistribution efforts as necessary for correcting historic racial injustices. Ramaphosa has firmly denied any genocide, citing strong evidence to the contrary.
Relations took a further hit in March when Trump halted all U.S. federal funding to South Africa and expelled its ambassador following Pretoria’s genocide case filing against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
Despite the confrontational exchange, Ramaphosa later described the meeting as “very good,” underscoring the need for open dialogue and continued U.S.-South Africa cooperation.
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