On Wednesday, former U.S. President Donald Trump launched a sharp attack against South African President Cyril Ramaphosa by playing a video in a highly unusual move. In the video, Trump claimed that there was a genocide taking place against white people in South Africa, which, he said, was forcing farmers to flee to the United States.
In what turned the usually calm diplomatic setting of the Oval Office into a stage for controversy, Trump alleged that white South African farmers were being driven off their land and killed. Speaking in front of reporters, Trump had staff play a four-minute video on a large screen, claiming that Black politicians in South Africa were inciting violence against white citizens.
“You allow them to take the land, and then when they take the land, they kill the white farmer — and when they kill the white farmer, nothing happens to them,” Trump said.
He also showed various news clippings, which he claimed supported his allegations, though one actually featured footage from the Democratic Republic of Congo, not South Africa. “Death, death, death. Terrible death,” he exclaimed. Earlier this month, the Trump administration granted refugee status to over 50 white South Africans, despite having effectively shut down refugee admissions from other parts of the world.
President Ramaphosa denied Trump’s allegations. Though initially stunned, he remained calm and addressed the claims, dismissing them as false and politically motivated.
A Tense Exchange
Ramaphosa denied that the land reform legislation signed in January, intended to address historical inequalities from apartheid, was targeting white farmers. “No, no, no,” he responded. “No one can just take land.” He emphasized that most victims of South Africa’s high crime rates are Black and pointed out that the politicians shown in the video were from opposition parties.
The meeting, which was expected to help restore strained U.S.–South Africa relations, especially after Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of “white genocide” — amplified by his billionaire ally Elon Musk, who was also present — turned into an awkward diplomatic moment.
Ramaphosa arrived at the White House with South African golf legends Ernie Els and Retief Goosen in an effort to appeal to the golf-loving Trump. “We’re here essentially to reestablish relations between the United States and South Africa,” Ramaphosa said.
But as he tried to respond while the video played, Trump repeatedly interrupted him. “Where is this?” Ramaphosa asked, visibly uncomfortable as the video showed firebrand opposition MP Julius Malema chanting “Kill the Boer, kill the farmer” — a controversial slogan from the anti-apartheid struggle.
The video ended with images of white crosses placed on rural roadsides, meant to symbolize murdered farmers. Trump incorrectly claimed they were graves.
Golf Diplomacy
At one point, Ramaphosa urged calm and called for respectful dialogue. “We were taught by Nelson Mandela that whenever there are problems, people should sit around the table and talk about them,” he said. The two golf champions also attempted to ease the tension when Trump invited them to speak. “We want everything in our country to be good. That’s the main thing,” said Els, a four-time major champion.
Despite the incident, Ramaphosa later characterized the meeting as “a great success” and said he expected Trump to attend the G20 Summit in Johannesburg in November. He added that despite the video, he did not believe Trump fully accepted the idea of a white genocide in South Africa. “In the end, I think he has doubts and disbelief in his mind about all this,” Ramaphosa told reporters.
Since Trump began his second term, his administration has targeted South Africa on several fronts. It criticized South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, slashed foreign aid, imposed a 31% tariff, and expelled the South African ambassador after Pretoria criticized Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement.
