President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa engaged in a tense back-and-forth on the White Home over Trump’s unfounded claims of “genocide” towards white South African farmers.
In a uncommon scene within the Oval Workplace, Trump had the lights dimmed to play movies on a TV monitor he stated supported his allegations. He then held up what he stated have been information articles about violent assaults towards white Afrikaner farmers.
President Donald Trump meets with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa within the Oval Workplace of the White Home in Washington, Might 21, 2025.
Jim Watson/AFP through Getty Photos
“White South Africans are fleeing due to the violence and the racist legal guidelines,” Trump stated.
A video is performed as South African President Cyril Ramaphosa seems on throughout a gathering with US President Donald Trump within the Oval Workplace of the White Home in Washington, Might 21, 2025.
Jim Watson/AFP through Getty Photos
Ramaphosa pushed again, saying the clips of speeches Trump performed have been “not authorities coverage.” Different members of the South African delegation stated the audio system have been a part of fringe political teams and opposition events.
“There may be criminality in our nation. Individuals who do get killed, sadly, by means of prison exercise should not solely white individuals, majority of them are Black individuals,” Ramaphosa stated.
The South African chief stated it might take Trump “listening to the voices of South Africans” to alter his view. The South African authorities has vehemently disputed Trump’s claims of genocide.
“I might say if there was Afrikaner farmer genocide, I can guess you these three gents wouldn’t be right here, together with my minister of agriculture,” Ramaphosa stated. “He wouldn’t be with me. So, it will take him, President Trump, listening to their tales, to their perspective.”
Elon Musk, a South African native and a prime adviser to the president throughout his second time period, has additionally been vocal concerning the plight of South African landowners, amplifying claims of “white genocide.”
Musk was current for Ramaphosa’s go to to the White Home. He was seen standing behind a sofa and didn’t communicate in the course of the change between Ramaphosa and Trump.
Dozens of Afrikaner refugees arrived within the U.S. final week after having their functions fast-tracked below an government order issued by Trump in February titled, “Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa.”
The order contends the South African authorities handed a regulation permitting it to “seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property with out compensation” in a “stunning disregard of its’ citizen rights.” It instructs that the U.S. won’t present assist or help to the nation, and that the U.S. “promote the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees.”
The regulation handed by South Africa cited by the administration goals to handle land injustices established throughout apartheid. It states land may be expropriated within the public curiosity and normally have to be topic to compensation, the quantity of which will need to have been agreed to by the homeowners or accepted by court docket. Specialists say the regulation is akin to related laws all over the world relating to eminent area.
Along with Trump’s government order, his administration expelled South Africa’s Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool from the U.S. earlier this 12 months.
Trump has been scrutinized for prioritizing Afrikaners whereas transferring to limit immigration from elsewhere, together with from Afghanistan, Venezuela and Haiti.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio was requested to defend the administration’s place whereas testifying earlier than a Senate panel on Tuesday.
“I believe these 49 those who got here strongly felt they have been persecuted, and so they handed each type of test mark that wanted to be checked off,” Rubio stated. “The president recognized it as an issue and wished to make use of it for instance.”
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia stated he believed the declare there may be persecution of Afrikaner farmers was “fully specious” and famous the U.S. hadn’t let in Black South Africans throughout apartheid.
“I believe that the US has a proper to permit into this nation and prioritize the allowance of who they need to permit it are available in,” Rubio responded.
A number of the first group of white South Africans granted refugee standing maintain U.S. flags as they attend a meet and greet occasion, at Dulles Worldwide Airport, in Dulles, Virginia, Might 12, 2025.
Saul Loeb/AFP through Getty Photos
ABC Information’ Shannon Kingston contributed to this report.
