US President Donald Trump has confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in a heated Oval Office exchange over alleged violence against white farmers, escalating tensions in an already strained bilateral relationship.
The meeting, intended to “reset” US–South Africa relations, quickly turned confrontational as Trump claimed white Afrikaner farmers were facing “death, death, death, horrible death” and were fleeing the country due to “violence and racist laws”.
He suggested Australia was being “inundated” with fleeing white South Africans, echoing his previous assertion that a “genocide” is underway — a claim South African officials and courts have firmly rejected.
At one point, Trump ordered the lights dimmed in the Oval Office so his staff could play a video montage, including footage of a far-left South African politician chanting “kill the farmer”. Ramaphosa questioned the accuracy of the video, asking, “Have they told you where that is, Mr President? Because this I’ve never seen.” Trump replied, “It’s in South Africa, that’s where.”
South African police recorded 26,232 murders in 2024, with only 44 linked to farming communities. Of those, just eight victims were farmers. Government data consistently shows that while rural violence is a concern, farmers of all races are affected, and the majority of victims of violent crime are Black South Africans.
The meeting’s tone shifted sharply after a journalist asked Trump what it would take to convince him there is no “white genocide” in South Africa. Ramaphosa attempted to answer on Trump’s behalf, prompting Trump to respond curtly, “I’d rather have him answer it.” Ramaphosa then said Trump needed to listen to the voices of South Africans, including some “who are his good friends”.
Despite moments of levity — including golf banter and a joke from Ramaphosa about not having a private jet to offer Trump — the discussion remained tense. Trump reiterated his accusation that South Africa is expropriating land from white farmers. Ramaphosa countered that no land had been seized and accused Trump of acting on misinformation.
In a symbolic gesture, Ramaphosa’s delegation included South African golf legends Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, and luxury tycoon Johann Rupert, aimed at easing Trump’s concerns and strengthening ties. Trump, however, remained unconvinced, stating, “We have thousands of stories talking about it, we have documentaries, we have news stories.”
South Africa maintains that its land reform process is constitutional and necessary to correct historical injustices. In 2018, Australia debated offering special visas to white South African farmers after similar claims were raised by Trump and then-Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton — though the Turnbull government later ruled out preferential treatment.
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