WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday, with Trump aggressively confronting Ramaphosa on the alleged “genocide.”
Ramaphosa, taking a collegial and non-confrontational tone, attempted to explain the situation in South Africa regarding land ownership and violence. Trump repeatedly cut him off, taking an abrupt and aggressive tone as he repeated his claims of “white genocide.”
Trump has alleged a “genocide” is being committed in South Africa against white farmers, a claim South Africa denies. When speaking with reporters prior to the meeting, Trump said the subject would definitely come up.
“A lot of people are very concerned about South Africa and that’s really the purpose of the meeting and we’ll see how that turns out,” Trump said. “But we have many people that feel they’re being persecuted and they’re coming to the United States. So we take from many, many locations, if we feel there is persecution or genocide going on.”
When asked what it would take for Trump’s views on the subject to change, Ramaphosa stepped in to answer.
“It will take President Trump listening to the voices of South Africa. If there was a genocide of Afrikaners, I can guarantee you these men would not be here,” he said, pointing to officials who accompanied him.
Trump responded by playing a video showing clips of political rallies and politicians talking about Afrikaners for Ramaphosa and reporters.
The video included what Trump described as burial sites. Ramaphosa asked where those were located, possibly suggesting that they were not in South Africa.
Ramaphosa said the clips in the video do not reflect government policy, noting that freedom of speech allows those people to express their views, including views held by a minority of people.
Trump also lashed out at a reporter who asked about the gift of a Qatari jet, calling them a terrible reporter and saying they were trying to change the subject. When asked what he would like Ramaphosa to do about the alleged issue, Trump said he didn’t know.
Ramaphosa referenced Nelson Mandela, saying that the way to address problems is to sit down and talk about what is happening, which he hopes to do with Trump, along with other discussions about issues like trade.
“It’s a terrible thing that’s taking place,” Trump said last week. “Farmers are being killed, they happen to be white, but whether they’re white or Black makes no difference to me. But white farmers are being brutally killed, and their land is being confiscated in South Africa.”
Billionaire Elon Musk, who was born and raised in South Africa and has been critical of its policies, is expected to attend some of the meetings with Ramaphosa, a source told NewsNation.
The United States has granted refugee status to 59 white South Africans, marking the start of what the Trump administration said is a larger relocation plan for minority Afrikaner farmers who Trump claims are being persecuted.
Ramaphosa is expected to rebut these claims during his visit.
South Africa to talk trade deal with US
Trade will also likely be a central topic in Wednesday’s meeting.
South Africa remains the United States’ largest African trading partner, but it’s currently subject to Trump’s global 10% tariff pause.
Once lifted, South Africa could face a 31% tariff, an outcome Ramaphosa is hoping to avoid and has cited as a main reason for his trip.
“The trade relations are the most important, that’s what brought us here. We want to come out of the United States with a really good trade deal,” Ramaphosa told South African reporters in the U.S. after arriving Tuesday.
