An unexpected Oval Office confrontation left South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visibly unsettled during his diplomatic visit.
President Donald Trump played a video montage for Ramaphosa, claiming to show evidence of “white genocide” against South African farmers—a move that escalated already tense relations and stunned onlookers. As reported by the Daily Mail, the dramatic episode unfolded during a Wednesday meeting intended to improve bilateral ties.
Ramaphosa, accompanied by prominent South African figures including champion golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen and luxury tycoon Johann Rupert, found his overtures for friendship met with a pointed rebuke from Trump, who has long accused South Africa of targeting its white minority population. The confrontation included video clips of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema singing a controversial song and a display of news clippings on farm attacks, creating a charged atmosphere rarely seen in such diplomatic settings.
Trump, seeking to make his case, asked White House aides to dim the lights before rolling a “supercut” of speeches and rallies by Malema, whose song “Shoot the Boer, Shoot the farmer” has sparked fierce debate in South Africa. The video, which included images of white crosses and alleged burial sites, was intended to show the danger faced by white South Africans and reinforce Trump’s claims of race-based violence.
Trump then produced a stack of media reports, including a Daily Mail article by Sue Reid about white South Africans fleeing violence and “racist” laws for new lives in the United States. “These are articles over the last few days—a death of people, death, death, horrible death, death, death,” Trump said, paging through the clippings for the cameras. “White South Africans are fleeing being of the violence and ‘racist’ laws,” he continued, reading from a headline.
The president turned to Ramaphosa, saying, “And I’ll give these to you. So when you say, ‘What would you like to do?’ I don’t know what to do for this—white South African couples say that they were attacked violently.”
Confronted with the video and news reports, Ramaphosa attempted to explain South Africa’s policy landscape, emphasizing the nation’s constitutional democracy and rejecting the notion that government policy supports racial violence. He acknowledged that Malema’s party is a minority and not reflective of government positions.
Ramaphosa stated, “That is not government policy. We have a multi-party democracy in South Africa that allows people to express themselves. And in many cases, or in some cases, those policies do not go along with government policy.”
He further argued that violence in South Africa affects all racial groups, saying, “There is criminality in our country. People who do get killed, unfortunately, through criminal activity are not only white people, a majority of them are black people.” Trump, however, was unconvinced, pressing Ramaphosa on land seizures and the government’s handling of violent incidents. He questioned, “Why would you not arrest this man? That man said ‘kill the white farmers, kill the white farmers’ and then he danced.”
The meeting drew even more attention with the presence of Elon Musk, the South African-born tech billionaire, who stood silently among the reporters during the tense exchange. Musk has previously agreed with Trump’s claims about violence against white farmers in South Africa.
Johann Rupert, a well-known South African businessman, sought to broaden the discussion, noting that violence is not limited to white farmers. Addressing the room, Rupert said, “We need technological help. We need Starlink at every little police station. We need drones. I actually got drones donated for the peace parks to stop elephant and rhino poaching and his predecessor stopped the importation because he said the United States would spy on us.”
The already heated meeting took another turn when NBC News’ Peter Alexander questioned Trump about his policy of welcoming white South African refugees while not extending the same invitation to Afghan and Venezuelan asylum seekers. Trump lashed out, labeling NBC “fake news” and accusing Alexander of missing the gravity of the situation.
Trump’s frustration boiled over when Alexander shifted to a separate topic involving a Qatari jet being transferred to the Department of Defense. Trump responded sharply, “There are all white farmers being buried and he asks about a jet that was given. You outta be ashamed of yourself. You are so bad, you’re such a bad reporter.”
Ramaphosa, seeking to break the tension, joked, “I’m sorry I don’t have a plane to give you.” Trump replied, “If your country offered the United States Air Force a plane I would take it.”
The high-profile confrontation left a lasting impression on those present and observers worldwide. Ramaphosa described the meeting as having gone “very well” as he exited the West Wing, maintaining a diplomatic tone despite the uncomfortable exchange. Asked if he believed President Trump had listened to his concerns, Ramaphosa reiterated, “Yes he did, it went very well.” His measured comments contrasted sharply with the combative tone inside the Oval Office.
