Washington, USA – United States President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa clashed during a tense meeting at the White House on Wednesday, centered around Trump’s allegations of a “genocide” against white Afrikaner farmers in South Africa—a claim strongly rejected by Ramaphosa.
The Oval Office encounter, one of the most fraught presidential meetings since Trump’s February confrontation with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, focused largely on Trump’s assertion that white South African farmers are being persecuted. Despite his administration’s strict cuts to refugee admissions, the U.S. recently granted asylum to several Afrikaner families, fueling the dispute.
Trump introduced Ramaphosa as a “respected, though sometimes controversial figure,” while Ramaphosa called for a “reset” in bilateral relations between the two countries.
Clash Over Refugee Claims
Tensions escalated when reporters pressed Trump about the arrival of Afrikaner refugees in the U.S. Trump insisted that these white farmers are fleeing violence and demanded answers.
“These are white farmers fleeing South Africa. It’s very sad. We want answers,” Trump stated.
Ramaphosa firmly denied the existence of any “Afrikaner genocide,” urging Trump to engage directly with South Africans for a clearer perspective.
“If there were a genocide, I assure you these people wouldn’t be here, including my own agriculture minister,” Ramaphosa said, highlighting Afrikaner members of his delegation.
Trump responded by showing a five-minute video alleging violence against white farmers, including clips of African politicians purportedly encouraging attacks and images of crosses and graves symbolizing murdered farmers.
“I’d like to know where that is because I haven’t seen it,” Ramaphosa replied, visibly unsettled. He acknowledged South Africa’s high crime rates but emphasized that most victims are Black, not white.
Regarding land reform, Ramaphosa noted the Constitution protects property rights while allowing land expropriation for public interest, reflecting ongoing efforts to rectify apartheid-era inequalities.
“They’re being executed, and they’re white, mostly farmers. I don’t know how else to explain it,” Trump insisted.
At one point, Ramaphosa lightened the mood with a joke: “I don’t have a plane to give you,” referencing a private jet gifted to Trump by Qatar, which the U.S. accepted earlier that day.
Golf Diplomacy and Diplomatic Fallout
Tensions eased somewhat when famed Afrikaner golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, admired by Trump and part of the South African delegation, intervened without supporting the genocide claims.
Relations between Washington and Pretoria have been strained recently, with the arrival of 49 Afrikaner refugees in the U.S. adding to the friction.
In March, Trump suspended all U.S. aid to South Africa, accusing the country of land seizures targeting white farmers and of adopting an anti-Israel stance at the International Court of Justice, where South Africa has accused Israel of genocide in Gaza. South Africa’s new expropriation law allows land seizures without compensation in certain cases to address historical injustices.
Also in March, South Africa’s ambassador to the U.S., Ebrahim Rasool, was expelled after publicly criticizing Trump.
Citing ongoing “discrimination against Afrikaners,” Trump has vowed to boycott any G20 events hosted by South Africa, which is scheduled to hold the G20 leaders’ summit in Johannesburg on November 22–23.
“Without the United States, I don’t think it’s much of a summit anymore,” Trump declared.
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