US President Donald Trump confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with fabricated charges of white genocide and land grabs in a tense White House encounter. His Oval Office ambush was a repeat of his previous confrontation with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. President Ramaphosa firmly resisted, dismissing the conspiracy theory.
The South African President attempted to steer the conversation to trade and minerals, but Trump dominated the conversation with extreme right-wing talking points. Elon Musk and Afrikaner leaders saw the exchange. Ramaphosa later repeated: “There is just no genocide in South Africa.”
Trump Repeats White Genocide Conspiracy
President Trump opened the meeting by blaming South Africa for persecuting white farmers. He insisted land seizures and violence against them were rampant. Trump showed a video in the Oval Office, with the lights low, to drive his point home. The video included white crosses and political speeches. Trump explained that the crosses denoted graves of slain white South Africans.
BREAKING: President Trump brings a TV into the Oval Office in front of the South African President and shows him a video of his own government calling for the genocide of white farmers.
Savage.
“Turn the lights down. Turn the lights down and just put this on.”
Cyril Ramaphosa… pic.twitter.com/wDRk76cC1x
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 21, 2025
However, the footage came from a 2020 protest, not a mass grave site. An organizer told local media the crosses were symbolic. South African police data also disproves Trump’s claim. In 2024, 26,232 murders occurred nationwide. Only 44 were linked to farming communities. Of these, just 8 victims were farmers.
Ramaphosa Counters With Calm and Facts
President Cyril Ramaphosa stayed calm under the fire. He invited popular white South Africans–golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, and billionaire Johann Rupert–to join him at the meeting. Trump badgered him, to which Ramaphosa responded, “If there was Afrikaner farmer genocide, I can bet you these three gentlemen would not be here.”
Trump stayed firm. He asserted there were “thousands of stories” and “documentaries” to support his assertions. Trump gave Ramaphosa a pile of printed newspaper articles as he intoned, “death, death.”
Ramaphosa emphasized crime in South Africa targets predominantly Black people. Trump broke in: “The farmers are not Black.” Ramaphosa said, “These are issues we are ready to discuss with you.”
Trump Undermines Mandela’s Legacy
President Ramaphosa appealed to Nelson Mandela’s legacy of peace and unity. Trump mentioned apartheid as “terrible,” and then asserted, “This is sort of the opposite of apartheid.”
That statement shocked observers. The far-right white genocide fantasy has taken hold among U.S. extremist groups. A Trump supporter born in South Africa, Elon Musk, has also spread similar opinions. Musk was in the Oval Office confrontation.
Ramaphosa Refocuses on Trade Talks
Following the exchange, Ramaphosa attempted to turn the conversation. He stated that the two countries agreed to negotiate over critical minerals. South Africa suggested importing liquefied natural gas from the US as well.
Trump refused, however, to state whether or not he plans to attend the G20 summit in South Africa later this year. Despite the tense exchange, Ramaphosa complimented the decor in the Oval Office and made overtures for future collaboration.
“There is Just No Genocide in South Africa”
Outside of the meeting, Ramaphosa informed journalists there was no campaign of racial violence against white South Africans. “There is simply no genocide in South Africa,” he stated unequivocally. Rupert too came to the defense of the president. He reported crime was a general phenomenon that struck all races. But Trump’s false narrative had already done the damage.
The meeting illustrated how conspiracy theories today influence American diplomacy. And it cautioned world leaders what to anticipate upon entering Trump’s Oval Office.
