President Donald Trump ambushed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with a video he said backs up claims of “White genocide” in South Africa, dimming the lights in the Oval Office and playing it out on screens during the bilateral meeting.
“We have thousands of stories talking about it. We have documentaries, we have news stories,” Trump said, turning to aides. “I could show you a couple of things.”
“Turn the lights on, and just put this on,” Trump said.
The nearly 5-minute video played out and was later posted on the White House X account, which they said shows “Proof of Persecution in South Africa.”
Ramaphosa initially laughed and then looked visibly uncomfortable during the presentation.
At one point Ramaphosa asked, “Have they told you where that is?”
Trump shook his head no.
“I’d like to know where that is, because this, I’ve never seen,” Ramaphosa said.
“It’s in South Africa,” Trump said.
Asked by a reporter what he’d like Ramaphosa to do about what was seen in the video, Trump said, “I don’t know.”
Trump picked up a thick stack of articles he said backed up his claims of “White genocide” and flipped through them.
During the meeting, Ramaphosa disputed Trump’s claim that White South Africans are suffering “genocide” in the country. Trump and several members of his administration, including South Africa-born adviser Elon Musk, have said that the South African government is persecuting its White minority. South Africa has strenuously denied the claims.
South African president challenges Trump on claims of “White genocide” in South Africa
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa disputed President Donald Trump’s claim that White South Africans are suffering “genocide” in the country during the two leaders’ meeting in the Oval Office.
Ramaphosa urged Trump to “[listen] to their stories, to their perspective.”
Directly afterward, Ramaphosa sat in uncomfortable silence while Trump had his aides play a short documentary featuring a medley of videos, including South African politician Julius Malema.
Trump and several members of his administration, including South Africa-born adviser Elon Musk, have claimed that the South African government is persecuting its White minority. South Africa has strenuously denied the claims.
Ramaphosa also challenged Trump on his claims that South Africa encourages the killing of White farmers, noting that the majority of murder victims are Black.
South Africa does not release crime statistics by race. Police data show that 6,953 people were murdered between October and December 2024. Of these 12 were killed in farm attacks. Only one was a farmer, while five were farm dwellers and four were employees,
[CNN]