US-South Africa White House Summit
Ramaphosa: "Most Crime Victims Are Black"
During a summit with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, U.S. President Donald Trump publicly raised suspicions of the so-called "white farmer mass killings" in South Africa and demanded an explanation.
On the 21st (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump is holding a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington DC. Photo by AFP
On the 21st (local time), at the summit with President Ramaphosa held in the Oval Office at the White House, President Trump brought up the allegations of "white farmer mass killings." The two leaders exchanged greetings and pleasantries in a friendly atmosphere in front of the press, but once President Trump allowed questions from reporters, the topic shifted to the related allegations, leading to a back-and-forth between the two presidents.
President Trump said, "In general, the victims of these mass killings are white farmers," adding, "They are white, not black." He continued, "They are leaving South Africa. This is a sad thing." He then stated, "I want to hear an explanation about this," and added, "I know you would not want such massacres to occur."
Furthermore, during the summit, President Trump instructed his aides to play a video related to the alleged killings of white farmers in South Africa, and he handed President Ramaphosa a stack of printed articles about white victims.
The video showed Julius Malema, a far-left opposition politician, at a large rally, chanting the notorious slogan from the era of black discriminatory policies, "Kill the Boers, kill the farmers," and calling for land expropriation. It also depicted a convoy of vehicles heading to a site that President Trump claimed was "where 1,000 white farmers are buried."
In response, President Ramaphosa argued that the inflammatory speech shown in the video was merely the opinion of a minority party member, not aligned with government policy. He explained, "There is crime in our country, and people die," adding, "But it is not only white people who die due to crime. Most victims are black."
President Ramaphosa also questioned the location shown in the video, which President Trump identified as "where 1,000 white farmers are buried," saying, "I want to know where that is. I have never seen that."
Later, at a press conference held after concluding his U.S. visit, including the summit, President Ramaphosa reiterated, "There is no genocide in South Africa."
This summit did not unfold in the same "catastrophic" manner as when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the White House in February, but it was different from typical diplomatic meetings, where sensitive or contentious topics are usually discussed quietly without the press present. In particular, President Trump raised the sensitive issue of alleged reverse discrimination against whites in front of President Ramaphosa, who is regarded as the political successor to the late President Nelson Mandela, known for abolishing the notorious apartheid policies. This move is being described as a hallmark of Trump's "disruptive diplomacy."
Meanwhile, when asked whether he would attend the upcoming G20 summit to be held in South Africa in November, President Trump replied, "Without the United States, it does not carry the same meaning as before."
Elon Musk, the Tesla CEO and a close confidant of President Trump who was born in South Africa, was also present at the meeting.
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