‘We are essentially here to reset the relationship between the United States and South Africa,’ Ramaphosa told Trump during the bilateral meeting.
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa debated during a meeting at the White House on Wednesday, with Trump presenting what he claimed was evidence of violence and systematic targeting of white farmers, an accusation Ramaphosa rejected.
The tense exchange comes amid growing diplomatic tensions over allegations that South Africa has discriminated against white farmers, engaged in “white genocide,” and deepened its ties with Hamas and Iran.
“The president is a truly respected man in many, many circles, and in some circles he’s considered a little controversial,” Trump said in his opening remarks during the bilateral meeting at the Oval Office, referring to Ramaphosa.
“He called. I don’t know where he got my number, but I picked up,” Trump said, describing how the unexpected meeting came about amid escalating tensions.
A tense moment unfolded during the meeting when Trump presented videos showing evidence of “Afrikaner genocide” after Ramaphosa rejected the claims, denying that any such genocide was taking place in South Africa.
Ahead of the meeting, speculation swirled over how the talks would unfold, with some observers stating that Ramaphosa could have a reception similar to the one Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received in February.
“We are essentially here to reset the relationship between the United States and South Africa,” Ramaphosa told Trump.
Prominent South African businessman Johann Rupert and golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen joined the meeting as part of Ramaphosa’s delegation.
“We’ve had tremendous complaints about Africa,” Trump said. “They say there’s a lot of bad things going on in Africa, and that’s what we’re going to be discussing today.”
Shortly after taking office, Trump suspended all U.S. foreign assistance to South Africa. In an executive order dated Feb. 7, the president cited concerns over “actions fueling disproportionate violence against racially disfavored landowners,” as well as “aggressive positions towards the United States and its allies, including accusing Israel, not Hamas, of genocide in the International Court of Justice, and reinvigorating its relations with Iran to develop commercial, military, and nuclear arrangements.”
Trump stated that his administration would promote the resettlement of “Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination, including racially discriminatory property confiscation” in South Africa.
Last week, nearly 60 white South Africans arrived in the United States as the first group granted asylum under the president’s resettlement program.
By Emel Akan
