Trump ambushes Ramaphosa with ‘white genocide’ video in tense oval office meeting

A high-stakes diplomatic meeting aimed at mending strained U.S.-South Africa relations took a dramatic and unexpected turn when former U.S. President Donald Trump confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with a controversial video alleging a “white genocide” in South Africa.

In a theatrical gesture during Wednesday’s Oval Office meeting, Trump ordered the room lights dimmed and played a nearly five-minute video on large screens.

The footage, later posted on the White House’s official X account under the caption “Proof of Persecution in South Africa,” sought to bolster widely discredited claims about targeted violence against White South Africans.

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Ramaphosa appeared visibly taken aback, displaying a mix of confusion and unease, though he remained composed throughout the encounter.

The video’s narrative echoed past claims pushed by Trump and others, including South Africa-born billionaire Elon Musk—claims that have been thoroughly debunked and firmly rejected by the South African government.

As the video played, Ramaphosa turned to Trump and asked, “Have they told you where that is?” When Trump replied no, Ramaphosa directly challenged the premise of the video.

“If there were a genocide against Afrikaner farmers, I can assure you these three gentlemen would not be here,” he said, referencing the White members of his delegation, including Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen and golf legends Retief Goosen and Ernie Els.

Ramaphosa acknowledged the presence of violent crime in South Africa but rejected the notion that it was racially targeted.

“Yes, there is criminality. But the victims are not just White—most are Black South Africans,” he said.

The two leaders also clashed over South Africa’s controversial land reform policy, which Trump claimed was leading to the execution of White farmers.

Ramaphosa defended the initiative as a necessary correction to apartheid-era land dispossession, aimed at achieving greater economic equity.

The land policy has long been a flashpoint between Washington and Pretoria, with the U.S. even suspending certain aid programs over the disagreement.

Ramaphosa had entered the meeting hoping to reset relations with the Trump administration.

Instead, the session veered into confrontational territory, reminiscent of a previous Oval Office meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which had ended in a tense standoff.

This latest exchange underscores the deep divide between the two nations on issues of race, policy, and diplomacy.