A high-stakes diplomatic meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa took a dramatic turn Wednesday when Trump played an emotionally charged video claiming widespread attacks on white South African farmers.
The surprise move came shortly after what appeared to be a cordial conversation, with the two leaders chatting casually about golf. But the tone shifted sharply when Trump, without prior notice, screened a lengthy video in the Oval Office that purported to show violent attacks on white farmers and funerals of victims.
“When you look at the videos: How could it get worse?” Trump asked, visibly emotional. “They take your land and they kill you…We’re going to talk about it.”
President Ramaphosa, remaining calm, pushed back against the narrative. “The majority of people who are killed in our country are Black,” he replied, invoking the legacy of Nelson Mandela and emphasizing the need for unity and reconciliation in South Africa.
Trump, however, remained adamant. “The farmers are white,” he insisted. “And they’re being killed in large numbers.” He went as far as to call the situation “the opposite of apartheid,” suggesting that white South Africans are now facing what he labeled a “genocide.”
The South African delegation was reportedly caught off guard by the screening, though Ramaphosa, a seasoned negotiator, appeared composed throughout the meeting.
LSources close to the South African government said there had been concerns in Pretoria about a possible diplomatic ambush, drawing parallels to Trump’s tense Oval Office exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2019.
Ramaphosa had requested the meeting in an effort to rebuild strained relations with Washington, which have been at a low point since the end of apartheid in 1994. The two leaders were expected to focus on trade relations, economic investment, and diplomatic cooperation.
However, Trump’s insistence on focusing on white minority issues overshadowed much of the agenda. The U.S. president has previously echoed controversial claims, popularized by far-right groups, that white South Africans are victims of organized land grabs and targeted killings—allegations that have been widely debunked by human rights monitors and South African officials.
Also attending the lunch was South African-born tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has in the past repeated similar unsubstantiated claims about white genocide in his home country. His unannounced appearance further added to the unpredictability of the meeting.
In a show of strategic optics, Ramaphosa brought along well-known South African golfers and Trump acquaintances Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, as well as billionaire businessman Johann Rupert. “We’re proud South Africans, and we want to see our country flourish,” Els said during the visit.
Despite the tension, Ramaphosa managed to redirect parts of the conversation toward trade. South Africa remains the most industrialized nation on the African continent and exports cars, fruit, wine, and valuable minerals such as platinum, gold, and diamonds to the U.S.
The African leader is hoping to secure improved trade terms after Trump imposed what he called “reciprocal tariffs” on South Africa and other nations. Those tariffs have been temporarily suspended for 90 days while negotiations continue.
In a move critics say reflects discriminatory policy, the Trump administration has permitted a small group of white South Africans to enter the U.S. as refugees, even as it has clamped down on asylum claims from other parts of the world, especially non-white countries.
South African Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen, who now serves in Ramaphosa’s multi-party unity government and is a white opposition figure, refuted Trump’s assertions directly.
He said that there is no government-sponsored land seizure program targeting white farmers and described the claims of genocide as false.
“The vast majority of white farmers want to remain in South Africa and work with the government to address historical inequalities,” Steenhuisen said.
Source: nydailynews
