Trump’s theatrical attack hurts ties with South Africa

Trump confronts Ramaphosa with false accusations about white murders, embarrasses South African diplomacy and ignites conspiracy theories

United States President Donald Trump starred in another episode of diplomatic tension by publicly confronting South African leader Cyril Ramaphosa during a meeting at the White House on Wednesday (21). In a scene that resembles the embarrassment imposed on the Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski months ago, Trump accused South Africa of promoting the persecution and murder of white farmers, presenting alleged “evidence” that later proved false or decontextualized.

The meeting began in a cordial way, with the two leaders exchanging praise about the South African golf scenario, a sport for which both have appreciation. Renowned athletes of the country, such as Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, were part of Ramaphosa’s entourage, creating a climate initially friendly.

However, the atmosphere changed dramatically when Trump theatrically reduced the lighting of the oval hall to display a video and printed documents that would prove a supposed “white genocide” in South Africa. Among the images presented were white -aligned roads and supposed bodies in plastic bags.

“It’s a horrible scene. I’ve never seen anything like it”Trump said, referring to the crosses. “We are talking about death, death and more death.”

Subsequently, one of the images used by the US president was actually, in fact, a scene from a Red Cross video in Congo, showing victims of a massacre that occurred during a mass escape from a gum prison.

Ramaphosa reacts with containment

Faced with the accusations, the South African President kept the composure, but did not fail to contest Trump’s statements.

“They told you where this supposedly happened, Mr. President? Because I have never seen something like this in my country”replied Ramaphosa, promising to ascertain the complaints.

He also pointed out that while crime is a serious problem in South Africa, most victims are black, not white. Trump, however, interrupted it to say: “Farmers are not black.”

The narrative of “white genocide” and its supporters

The theory of “white genocide” in South Africa is widespread in right -wing extremist circles, including figures such as billionaire Elon Musk, born in the country and present at the meeting. Musk had already publicly shared similar allegations, feeding a narrative that does not find back in official data.

South African police statistics show that, although the homicide rate is alarming, the overwhelming majority of victims is made up of young black people from urban areas, not white farmers.

The background: agrarian reform and bilateral tensions

The friction between the two countries has intensified since the South African government has passed a controversial law of land reform, allowing the expropriation of unproductive land without compensation-a measure designed to correct historical inequalities of apartheid, when the white minority controlled most cultivable lands.

Trump reacted with hostility to politics, freezing financial aid to the US and offering asylum to white South Africans claiming persecution. Recently, a group of 49 Africaners hit the United States on a flight chartered by the US government.

The diplomatic consequences

South Africa is the second largest US commercial partner on the continent, behind only China. Ramaphosa sought, on this visit, to improve trade relations, especially after the imposition of tariffs on South African exports last year.

However, the aggressive tone adopted by Trump made any advance in negotiations. The posture of the US president reinforces his alignment strategy with conservative and nationalist groups, even at the expense of troubled international relations.

Meanwhile, Ramaphosa returns to Pretoria with another diplomatic crisis to manage – and the certainty that in the Trump era, even protocol meetings can become political fields.

With information from DW*