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.
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Michelle Del Rey has the story.
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