President Donald Trump ambushed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday by playing him a video that he claimed proved genocide is being committed against white people, driving farmers to flee to the United States.
The unexpected stunt turned the usually staid diplomatic setting of the Oval Office into a stage for Trump’s contention that white South Africans are being persecuted.
With the media standing by and Ramaphosa at times unable to get a word in, Trump had staff put the video on a large screen, saying it showed black South Africans discussing genocide.
“They’re white farmers, and they’re fleeing South Africa, and it’s a very sad thing to see. But I hope we can have an explanation of that, because I know you don’t want that,” Trump said.
Ramaphosa repeatedly tried to speak but was drowned out. At one point, he pleaded that they “talk about it very calmly.”
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“We were taught by Nelson Mandela that whenever there are problems, people need to sit down around the table and talk about them. And this is precisely what we would also like to talk about,” he said.
The visit by the South African leader was billed as a chance to smoothen relations following vociferous — and unfounded — genocide claims by Trump and his billionaire, South African-born ally Elon Musk, who was also in the Oval Office.
“We are essentially here to reset the relationship between the United States and South Africa,” Ramaphosa said.
He arrived at the White House with two of South Africa’s top golfers, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, and the country’s wealthiest man Johann Rupert, in a bid to woo the golf-loving US president.
The support of the three high-profile Afrikaners in Ramaphosa’s delegation comes days after around 50 Afrikaners arrived in the United States to take up Trump’s offer of “refuge.”
Trump made the offer despite the United States having halted arrivals of asylum seekers from most of the rest of the world as he cracks down on migration.
The South African president was also expected to come bearing gifts, with reports that his government would offer Musk a deal to operate his Starlink satellite internet network in the country.
He arrived at the White House with two of South Africa’s top golfers, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, and the country’s wealthiest man Johann Rupert, in a bid to woo the golf-loving US president.
The support of the three high-profile Afrikaners in Ramaphosa’s delegation comes days after around 50 Afrikaners arrived in the United States to take up Trump’s offer of “refuge.”
Trump made the offer despite the United States having halted arrivals of asylum seekers from most of the rest of the world as he cracks down on migration.
The South African president was also expected to come bearing gifts, with reports that his government would offer Musk a deal to operate his Starlink satellite internet network in the country.
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