WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President used a White House meeting to forcefully confront South African President accusing the country of failing to address Trump's baseless claim of the systematic killing of white farmers.
Trump even dimmed the lights of the Oval Office to play a video of a far-left politician chanting a song that includes the lyrics 鈥渒ill the farmer.鈥� He also leafed through news articles to underscore his point, saying the country's white farmers have faced 鈥渄eath, death, death, horrible death.鈥�
Trump had already cut all U.S. assistance to South Africa and welcomed several dozen white South African farmers to the U.S. as refugees as he pressed the case that a .
The U.S. president, since his return to office, has at South Africa鈥檚 Black-led government, claiming it is seizing land from white farmers, enforcing antiwhite policies and .
Experts in South Africa say there is no evidence of whites being targeted for their race, although farmers of all races are victims of violent home invasions in a country with a high crime rate.
鈥淧eople are fleeing South Africa for their own safety,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淭heir land is being confiscated and in many cases they鈥檙e being killed.鈥�
Ramaphosa pushed back against Trump鈥檚 accusation. The South African leader had sought to use the meeting to set the record straight and salvage his country鈥檚 relationship with the United States. The bilateral relationship is at its lowest point since South Africa enforced its apartheid system of racial segregation, which ended in 1994.
鈥淲e are completely opposed to that,鈥� Ramaphosa said of the behavior alleged by Trump in their exchange. He added, 鈥渢hat is not government policy鈥� and 鈥渙ur government policy is completely, completely against what he was saying.鈥�
Trump was unmoved.
鈥淲hen they take the land, they kill the white farmer,鈥� he said.
Trump appeared prepared to confront Ramaphosa at the start of the meeting while journalists were present. Videos were cued up on a large TV set to show a clip of an opposition party leader, Julius Malema, leading an old anti-apartheid song.
The song has been contentious for years in the country because of its central lyrics 鈥渒ill the Boer鈥� and 鈥渟hoot the Boer鈥� 鈥� with Boer a word that refers to a white farmer. Malema, featured in the video, is not part of the country鈥檚 governing coalition.
Another clip played showed white crosses on the side of a road, described as a memorial for white farmers who were killed. Ramaphosa seemed baffled. 鈥淚鈥檇 like to know where that is, because this I鈥檝e never seen.鈥�
Trump kicked off the meeting by describing the South African president as a 鈥渢ruly respected man in many, many circles.鈥� He added: 鈥淎nd in some circles he鈥檚 considered a little controversial.鈥�
Ramaphosa chimed in, playfully jabbing back at a U.S. president who is no stranger to controversy. 鈥淲e鈥檙e all like that,鈥� Ramaphosa said.
Trump in February cutting all funding to over some of its domestic and foreign policies. The order criticized the South African government on multiple fronts, saying it is pursuing antiwhite policies at home and supporting 鈥渂ad actors鈥� in the world like the and Iran.
Trump has falsely accused the South African government of by seizing their land through a new expropriation law. No land has been seized and the South African government has pushed back, saying U.S. criticism is driven by misinformation.
The Trump administration鈥檚 references to the Afrikaner people 鈥� who are descendants of Dutch and other European settlers 鈥� have also elevated previous claims made by Trump's and some conservative U.S. commentators that the South African government is allowing attacks on white farmers in what amounts to a genocide.
The administration's concerns about South African policies cut even deeper than the concerns about white farmers.
South Africa has also angered Trump over its move to bring charges at the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Ramaphosa has also faced scrutiny in Washington for his past connections to MTN Group, Iran鈥檚 second-largest telecom provider. It owns nearly half of Irancell, a joint venture linked with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Ramaphosa served as board chair of MTN from 2002 to 2013.
Ramaphosa came into the meeting looking to avoid the sort of contentious engagement that Ukrainian President experienced during his February Oval Office visit, when the Ukrainian leader found himself being berated by Trump and Vice President JD Vance. ended with White House officials asking Zelenskyy and his delegation to leave the White House grounds.
The South African president's delegation included golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, a gesture to the golf-obsessed U.S. president. Ramaphosa brought Trump a massive book about South Africa's golf courses. He even told Trump that he's been working on his golf game, seeming to angle for an invitation to the links with the president.
Luxury goods tycoon and Afrikaner Johann Rupert was also in the delegation to help ease Trump's concerns that land was being seized from white farmers.
At one point, Ramaphosa called on Zingiswa Losi, the president of a group of South African trade unions, who told Trump it is true that South Africa is a 鈥渧iolent nation for a number of reasons.鈥� But she told him it was important to understand that Black men and women in rural areas were also being targeted in heinous crimes.
鈥淭he problem in South Africa, it is not necessarily about race, but it鈥檚 about crime,鈥� Losi said. 鈥淲e are here to say how do we, both nations, work together to reset, to really talk about investment but also help 鈥� to really address the levels of crime we have in our country.鈥�
Musk also attended Wednesday's talks. He has been at the forefront of the criticism of his homeland, casting its affirmative action laws as racist against whites.
Musk has said on social media that his Starlink satellite internet service isn鈥檛 able to get a license to operate in South Africa because he is not Black.
South African authorities say Starlink hasn鈥檛 formally applied. It can, but it would be bound by affirmative action laws in the communications sector that require foreign companies to allow 30% of their South African subsidiaries to be owned by shareholders who are Black or from other racial groups disadvantaged under apartheid.
The South African government says its long-standing affirmative action laws are a cornerstone of its efforts to right the injustices of the white minority rule of apartheid, which denied opportunities to Blacks and other racial groups.
Following the contentious exchange in front of the cameras, Trump hosted Ramaphosa for lunch and further talks.
Ramaphosa, speaking to reporters following his White House visit, downplayed Trump's criticism, adding he believes 鈥渢here鈥檚 doubt and disbelief in (Trump's) head鈥� about his genocide charge. He insisted they did not dwell on Trump's concerns about white farmers in their private conversation.
鈥淵ou wanted to see drama and something really big happening,鈥� Ramaphosa told reporters following his White House visit. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 sorry that we disappointed you somewhat when it comes to that.鈥�
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Imray reported from Johannesburg. AP writers Seung Min Kim, Chris Megerian, Darlene Superville, Sagar Meghani and Ali Swenson contributed reporting.
Gerald Imray And Aamer Madhani, The Associated Press
