President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa found themselves at odds during a meeting at the White House on Wednesday, with tensions flaring over Trump’s claims of “genocide” targeting white farmers in South Africa.
In an unusual moment in the Oval Office, Trump ordered the lights lowered and played a series of video clips on a TV monitor to back up his assertions. Ramaphosa appeared caught off guard and commented that he hadn’t previously seen the footage. The origin and authenticity of the videos were not disclosed.
Trump also displayed what he described as media clippings highlighting violent incidents involving white Afrikaner farmers.
“I don’t know, all of these are articles over the last few days, death of people, death, death, death, horrible death,” Trump said.
Trump alleged that white South Africans are being forced to flee the country due to targeted violence and discriminatory laws.
“This is sort of the opposite of apartheid. What’s happening now is never reported. Nobody knows about it,” he said.



Ramaphosa responded firmly, pointing out that the speeches shown in the clips represented fringe views, not the official position of the South African government. He said that while crime is a real issue, the victims are predominantly Black South Africans.
“There is criminality in our country. People who do get killed, unfortunately, through criminal activity are not only white people, majority of them are Black people,” Ramaphosa stated.
He urged Trump to listen to the South African people to gain a more accurate understanding of the situation. Ramaphosa also rejected the assertion that Afrikaners face genocide.
“I would say if there was Afrikaner farmer genocide, I can bet you these three gentlemen would not be here, including my minister of agriculture,” Ramaphosa said. “He would not be with me. So, it’ll take him, President Trump, listening to their stories, to their perspective.”
Ramaphosa attempted several times to shift the dialogue toward trade relations and investment opportunities, which he said was the real focus of his visit. Trump, however, repeatedly circled back to the issue of white South Africans and alleged persecution.
When asked directly what he expected Ramaphosa’s administration to do, Trump responded, “I don’t know.”
Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa and advises President Trump, attended the meeting and has previously echoed the “white genocide” narrative. He remained silent throughout the exchange but stood nearby as the conversation unfolded.
“Elon is from South Africa. I don’t want to get him involved,” Trump said. “That’s all I have to do. Get him into another thing. But Elon happens to be from South Africa.”
“This is what Elon wanted,” Trump added with a laugh.
Last week, dozens of Afrikaners arrived in the United States after having their immigration requests expedited under a February executive order from Trump titled “Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa.”
The executive directive accused the South African government of implementing policies that allowed it to “seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation” and described this as a “shocking disregard of its’ citizen rights.” The order mandated a halt to U.S. aid to South Africa and called for efforts to “promote the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees.”
South Africa’s land reform policy—cited in Trump’s order—is intended to address historic injustices rooted in apartheid. The law allows for land expropriation when deemed in the public interest, typically with compensation determined through negotiation or judicial decision. Legal scholars say the law aligns with widely accepted eminent domain practices.
Ramaphosa has previously argued that the Afrikaners coming to the U.S. do not meet the established criteria for refugee status, which require a credible fear of persecution due to race, religion, nationality, or political beliefs.
Critics have questioned Trump’s focus on Afrikaners at a time when his administration is imposing strict limits on migrants from other nations, such as Venezuela, Afghanistan, and Haiti.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, defending the White House’s policy in Senate testimony on Tuesday, stated, “I think those 49 people that came strongly felt they were persecuted, and they passed every sort of check mark that needed to be checked off. The president identified it as a problem and wanted to use it as an example.”
Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia challenged the administration’s rationale, calling the idea of systematic persecution of Afrikaner farmers “completely specious.” He also pointed out the historical irony that the U.S. had previously denied entry to Black South Africans during apartheid.
Rubio replied, “I think that the United States has a right to allow into this country and prioritize the allowance of who they want to allow it come in.”
{Matzav.com}