A high-stakes meeting at the White House between President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa took an unexpected turn Wednesday after Trump pushed discredited claims of a “white genocide” in South Africa, leaving diplomatic tensions worse than before.
What was intended as a bridge-building visit quickly unraveled as Trump confronted Ramaphosa with a video alleging the murder and persecution of white farmers in South Africa. The footage, shown during a live news conference, depicted a protest scene of white crosses — not actual graves — which Trump described as a burial site for slain Afrikaners. He offered no clarity on where the video was filmed, and the imagery was linked to a 2020 demonstration unrelated to any recent mass killings.
Trump’s remarks followed the recent arrival of 59 Afrikaners in the US who were granted asylum, prompting criticism from South Africa’s leadership. Ramaphosa, who previously called the asylum seekers “cowards,” hoped to refocus attention on trade ties during the visit, particularly ahead of new US tariffs set to hit South African exports in July.
Instead, the Oval Office meeting turned tense when Trump played a video featuring controversial opposition figure Julius Malema chanting an anti-white slogan. Trump claimed the footage showed evidence of land seizures and attacks on white farmers, though no verified cases of such killings linked to expropriation have emerged.
Handing over printed news clippings, Trump demanded “an explanation” for the alleged violence. Ramaphosa pushed back calmly, clarifying that Malema’s views do not reflect government policy and that South Africa’s democracy permits a range of political expression.
“Our government is against what he said,” Ramaphosa replied, noting that Malema’s party holds no power to enact land seizures. “If there was a genocide, these three gentlemen would not be here,” he added, pointing to white members of his delegation, including famed golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen.
Trump shot back, “But you do allow them to take land… and then when they take the land, they kill the white farmer.”
“No,” Ramaphosa responded firmly.
A law signed earlier this year by Ramaphosa permits land expropriation without compensation in certain cases, but the South African government insists no property has been seized under the legislation to date.
Official statistics contradict the genocide narrative. Nearly 10,000 people were murdered in South Africa between October and December 2024. Only 12 of those deaths occurred in farm attacks, and just one victim was a farmer. Most victims in these incidents were Black South Africans, including farm workers.
White genocide claims have long circulated among right-wing groups but have been repeatedly dismissed by South African courts. In February, a judge ruled such claims “clearly imagined” in a case involving funds earmarked for a white nationalist group.
As the exchange wore on, Ramaphosa invoked Nelson Mandela and South Africa’s commitment to racial reconciliation. When asked about white farmers potentially fleeing the country, he referred the question to his white agriculture minister, John Steenhuisen, who assured reporters that most farmers had no plans to leave.
Trump continued to press the issue, echoing talking points popular in far-right circles. Critics say the meeting appeared staged to publicly corner Ramaphosa.
“It is clear that a trap was set,” said Patrick Gaspard, former US ambassador to South Africa under President Barack Obama. “There was every intention to humiliate him.”
South Africa’s ambassador to Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, was expelled in March after accusing Trump of weaponizing white victimhood and stoking supremacist sentiment.
The meeting also comes against the backdrop of worsening diplomatic relations. Trump’s administration had already suspended vital aid to South Africa and remains at odds with Pretoria over its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
Afriforum, a prominent NGO representing Afrikaner interests, denied creating the video Trump showed but confirmed using similar footage. CEO Kallie Kriel told the BBC the video highlighted “real issues” that must be addressed.
Julius Malema, who became an unexpected centerpiece of the summit, later mocked the event. “A group of older men meet in Washington to gossip about me,” he wrote on X.
Despite Ramaphosa’s efforts to charm Trump — including golf-themed gifts and a celebrity-studded delegation — the meeting ended with little sign of progress.
Tensions between the two nations now appear to be at their highest point in years, with diplomacy taking a back seat to spectacle and suspicion.
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