Trump ambushes South African leader with evidence of ‘genocide’ during Oval Office meeting
Despite tense moments, Ramaphosa says Trump ‘heard’ him, and meeting ‘went very well’
Donald Trump ambushed President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa with unsubstantiated evidence of genocide against white farmers during their Oval Office meeting on Wednesday.
The president has criticized South African land reform, which aims to address the injustices of apartheid. Trump canceled aid to the country, expelled its ambassador, and offered refuge to white minority Afrikaners based on racial discrimination claims that Pretoria says are unfounded.
After a friendly start to the meeting, Trump played a video showing an opposition leader chanting “Kill the Boer!” and what he claimed were burial sites of murdered white farmers.
The South Africans pushed back on the claims, emphasizing that the government was against the opposition’s views and that the country has a rural crime problem that impacts everyone.
Ramaphosa said earlier that no matter what, the U.S. and South Africa “are joined at the hip and we need to be talking to them.”
The South African delegation included luxury goods tycoon Johann Rupert and champion golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, who helped dispel tension as friends of Trump.
The president was accompanied by Vice President JD Vance and South African-born billionaire Elon Musk, who has accused Ramaphosa of pursuing anti-white policies.
Trump says he hasn't made up his mind on South African 'genocide'
Trump was asked if he has made up his mind that a genocide is happening in South Africa.
The president replies: “I haven’t made up my mind but I hate to see it… If I can save lives, I want to save lives.”
South African golfer Ernie Els put on spot in Oval Office meeting
South African golfer Ernie Els, part of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s delegation, was asked for his thoughts amid the at-times tense Oval office meeting.
President Donald Trump said, “This is harder than sinking a three-footer” as he invited Els to share his thoughts.
“I know there's a lot of anger. We grew up in an apartheid era. But I don’t think two wrongs make a right,” Els said.
“We want to see things get better in our home country. That's the bottom line,” he added.
Ramaphosa jokes he's sorry he doesn't have a plane to give Trump
As the U.S. confirms it is accepting the gift of a 747-8 from Qatar for Trump to use as Air Force One, Ramaphosa joked that he was sorry he didn’t have a plane to give the president.
Trump replied: “I wish you did. I'd take it. If your country offered the US Air Force a plane, I would take it.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has accepted a gifted Boeing 747 from Qatar for Trump to use as president, Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said.
Parnell said the plane was accepted “in accordance with all federal rules and regulations.”
What does the South African government say about the deaths of white farmers?
The South African government says that the allegations aired by Trump during today’s Oval Office meeting with Cyril Ramaphosa are based on misinformation.
Some white farmers have been killed during violent home invasions, but South Africa says the Trump administration doesn’t understand why that has happened.
The government says those killings are part of its severe problem with crime and that the killing of whites isn’t motivated by race. Black farmers have also been killed, they note.
South Africa’s agriculture minister, John Steenhuisen, who is white and a member of a different political party than Ramaphosa, and was at the Oval Office meeting, told The Associated Press that no land is being seized from farmers and that the claims of genocide are false.
Golfers help diffuse tension at Oval Office meeting
Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, D.C.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's decision to bring several South African golfers to his Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump appears to have paid off.
The golfers, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, helped diffuse tensions after Trump confronted Ramaphosa with inflammatory videos and news articles, which he alleged to be evidence of “genocide” against white South Africans.
Asked by Trump to weigh in, Els said he and Goosen were both there as “proud South Africans” who “want to see things get better in our home country.”
He told the president that they had both come to meet with members of the Trump administration to help “see a way forward” so the country can “flourish.”
“You know, we got some great things going on. Businesses getting involved with government, farming. Farmers are getting involved in local municipalities, trying to rebuild some of the infrastructure that's been decaying for a long time.,” he said.
“But we need, I feel we need the U.S. to push this thing through,” he said.
Trump appeared affected by his friends’ participation and said he hoped his administration could “do something” for South Africa.
“Look, I have so many friends. These two men, I have great admiration for them, because I know what they do for a living, and that's a very hard living, going from city to city, from country to country, and hitting a ball 350 yards, like they do, getting the ball in the hole is very tough with lots of people watching. That's a very tough living. You know, they're champions. I respect champions, and I respect very much, and I think the country is very lucky. They really wanted to be here. They could be elsewhere,” he said.
Trump blasts ‘terrible reporter’ at NBC for asking about Qatar jet
Donald Trump raged at NBC News’ Peter Alexander on Wednesday for asking about the luxury plane the Qatari government is gifting the United States, calling him a “terrible reporter” and a “jerk” for not addressing the “genocide” of white South African farmers, which Trump has given refugee status to.
Justin Baragona reports.
Trump rips ‘terrible reporter’ at NBC for asking about Qatar at South African meeting
In pictures: Trump and Ramaphosa's Oval Office meeting
The meeting between President Donald Trump and President Cyril Ramaphosa lurched from moments of levity to heated and tense discussion.
Full story: Trump surprises South African leader in Oval Office with ‘genocide’ evidence including video and photos
Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, D.C.:
A meeting between President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa which the South African leader said was intended to “reset” the relationship between both governments after months of tensions appeared to go off the rails when Trump confronted Ramaphosa with inflammatory videos and news articles which he alleged to be evidence of “genocide” against white South Africans.
The Oval Office session had been largely calm and filled with compliments delivered from both Trump and Ramaphosa when the American leader was asked what it would take for Ramaphosa to convince him that no such “genocide” was taking place.
Trump directed staff to play a video, which included footage of Julian Malema, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters party, in which Malema repeatedly exhorts followers at a rally.to “kill the farmer” and “kill the Boer.”
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Trump shocks South African leader with ‘genocide’ evidence at meeting
Might Trump now attend G20 meeting in South Africa?
The U.S. has sent mixed signals about participating in this year’s G20 summit, which is being hosted by South Africa.
On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a Senate hearing that “we chose not to participate.”
But Trump suggested that he wasn’t ruling it out, and described the U.S. as a key player for both the G7 and the G20.
Trump called the G20 summit — countries representing about 85 percent of global GDP and three-quarters of world trade — a big deal and said he wants South Africa to “look good” during today’s meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“It’s important that the United States is in both of them,” he said.
President Ramaphosa noted that in November, South Africa hands over the G20 presidency to the U.S., which might possibly tempt Trump into sending a delegation or attending himself.
Trump also reiterated his belief that Russia should be added back into the G7, making it the G8.
Russia was removed in 2014 after annexing Crimea from Ukraine, a precursor to the war there.
American shoppers aren't spending because of tariff fears, Target warns
Target CEO Brian Cornell said Wednesday that raising prices to offset Trump-era tariffs would be a “last resort,” as the company reported weaker-than-expected first-quarter sales and lowered its full-year outlook.
Cornell said Target has “many levers to use in mitigating the impact of tariffs,” without passing costs to consumers who are fearful of spending because of President Donald Trump’s tariff plan.
Target also said that customer boycotts have also done some damage during the latest quarter.
Erin Keller reports.
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