LAST UPDATE | 21 May

THINGS KICKED OFF in the White House once again today.

US President Donald Trump and his guest, President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, had a heated disagreement over Trump’s claims of “white genocide” occurring within South Africa. 

Trump said he was looking for an explanation from his South African counterpart of unfounded claims of “genocide” against white South Africans.

“Generally, 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 to Ramaphosa.

The US president then asked staff members to play a video on a screen set up in the Oval Office showing Ramaphosa – and the gathered global media – what he said were clips of black South Africans talking about the issue, including images of what the US president called “burial sites.”

Ramaphosa denied that his country confiscates land from white farmers as he was pressed on the issue by Trump.

Trump put to his counterpart in an Oval Office meeting that “you do allow them to take land.”

“No, no, no, no,” Ramaphosa responded. “Nobody can take land.”

President Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa exchange on genocide.

Q: "What will it take for you to be convinced that there's no white genocide in South Africa?"

Ramaphosa: "I can answer that for the president."

Trump: "I'd rather have him answer." pic.twitter.com/8v8hXFGmK0

— CSPAN (@cspan) May 21, 2025

Trump began showing printed articles with pictures of white South Africans he claimed were murdered.

“These are articles over the last few days. Death, death, death… horrible death,” Trump said as he showed each print-out. “White South Africans are fleeing because of the violence and racist laws. You know, I’ll give these to you,” he told Ramaphosa.

During the meeting, Trump angrily responded to a question from an NBC reporter on the gifted Qatari jet and told him that he was not taking any more questions from him.

“Here’s burial sites all over the place. These are all white farmers that are being buried, and he asks about a jet that was given. You ought to be ashamed of yourself,” Trump said to the reporter. “You are so bad. You’re such a bad reporter.”

Ramaphosa’s delegation contained golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, and South Africa’s wealthiest man, billionaire Johann Rupert. The delegation made attempts to smooth over the escalating situation. 

Outside of the central issue discussed during the meeting, Ramaphosa and his delegation made efforts to draw the conversation back to issues such as trade.

The meeting between the two comes as Trump has been attacking South African officials on widely rejected charges of allowing a “genocide” against minority white farmers.

South African officials have strongly pushed back against Trump’s accusation and Ramaphosa sought the meeting to set the record straight and salvage his country’s 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.

Ramaphosa was greeted by Trump as he arrived at the White House shortly after noon for a lunch and Oval Office talks.

Elon Musk, who is originally from South Africa, was present in the Oval Office as the meeting progressed.

With reporting by AFP and PA