Donald Trump ambushes South African president over ‘genocide’ claims during White House visit.
Donald Trump has blindsided South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during a White House meeting by playing footage which he claims pertained to allegations of genocide in South Africa.
The South African leader sat quietly while the US president repeated widely discredited claims about a genocide against white South Africans.
To support his argument, Mr Trump played footage on a television screen set up in the Oval Office, a first for such a meeting with a foreign leader.
One clip showed a documentary featuring South African opposition politician Julius Malema singing a song which included the line “shoot the Boer”, which refers to white farmers in the country.
Another showed what Mr Trump claimed to be a burial site of white farmers, to which he narrated: “It’s a terrible sight, never seen anything like it.”
Putting Mr Ramaphosa on the spot, Mr Trump asked him what he was going to do about the images displayed on screen that appeared to show white South Africans mourning their loved ones at the burial ground.
Once the film finished, Mr Ramaphosa and his team appeared to be lost for words, but the South African leader later said: “I’d like to know where that is because I’ve never seen these videos.”
Mr Trump also held up a a stack of papers with photos of white South Africans’ faces, who the US leader claimed were murdered.
He also showed a room of stunned reporters a number of news articles which he said were from the last few days of “death of people, death, death, death, horrible death, death”.
Videos are not normally played during Oval Office meetings, but Mr Trump appeared to have carefully prepared this video ahead of time.
The American leader appeared ready to pivot towards the video screen as soon as the issue of the “genocide” of white farmers was brought up again.
He even narrated over the footage to those in the room about what was being said on screen.
It is the first time Mr Trump has carried out such an ambush on a foreign leader.
His infamous fall-out with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky in February came unexpectedly. But for today’s fall-out, Trump came prepared with materials he believed would back up his argument.
During the playing of the second clip, Mr Ramaphosa asked Mr Trump: “Have they told you where that is Mr President?”
Trump replied: “No.”
Mr Ramaphosa then said he would “like to know where it is, as he’s never seen it before.”
“It’s in South Africa,” Trump responded.
Later on in their meeting, Mr Ramaphosa addressed Mr Trump’s accusations head on and said South Africa has a democracy that allows people to express themselves.
He said: “What you saw, the speeches that were being made, that is not government policy. We have a multi-party democracy in South Africa that allows people to express themselves, political parties to adhere to various policies. And in many cases or in some cases, those policies do not go along with government policy.
“Our government policy is completely, completely against what he [a person in the video montage] was saying. Even in the parliament. And they are a small minority party which is allowed to exist in terms of our constitution.”
has blindsided South African President Cyril Ramaphosa during a White House meeting by playing footage which he claims pertained to allegations of genocide in South Africa.
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The South African leader sat quietly while the US president repeated widely discredited claims about a genocide against white South Africans.
To support his argument, Mr Trump played footage on a television screen set up in the Oval Office, a first for such a meeting with a foreign leader.
One clip showed a documentary featuring South African opposition politician Julius Malema singing a song which included the line “shoot the Boer”, which refers to white farmers in the country.
Another showed what Mr Trump claimed to be a burial site of white farmers, to which he narrated: “It’s a terrible sight, never seen anything like it.”
Putting Mr Ramaphosa on the spot, Mr Trump asked him what he was going to do about the images displayed on screen that appeared to show white South Africans mourning their loved ones at the burial ground.
Once the film finished, Mr Ramaphosa and his team appeared to be lost for words, but the South African leader later said: “I’d like to know where that is because I’ve never seen these videos.”
Mr Trump also held up a a stack of papers with photos of white South Africans’ faces, who the US leader claimed were murdered.
He also showed a room of stunned reporters a number of news articles which he said were from the last few days of “death of people, death, death, death, horrible death, death”.
Videos are not normally played during Oval Office meetings, but Mr Trump appeared to have carefully prepared this video ahead of time.
The American leader appeared ready to pivot towards the video screen as soon as the issue of the “genocide” of white farmers was brought up again.
He even narrated over the footage to those in the room about what was being said on screen.
It is the first time Mr Trump has carried out such an ambush on a foreign leader.
His infamous fall-out with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky in February came unexpectedly. But for today’s fall-out, Trump came prepared with materials he believed would back up his argument.
During the playing of the second clip, Mr Ramaphosa asked Mr Trump: “Have they told you where that is Mr President?”
Trump replied: “No.”
Mr Ramaphosa then said he would “like to know where it is, as he’s never seen it before.”
“It’s in South Africa,” Trump responded.
Later on in their meeting, Mr Ramaphosa addressed Mr Trump’s accusations head on and said South Africa has a democracy that allows people to express themselves.
He said: “What you saw, the speeches that were being made, that is not government policy. We have a multi-party democracy in South Africa that allows people to express themselves, political parties to adhere to various policies. And in many cases or in some cases, those policies do not go along with government policy.
“Our government policy is completely, completely against what he [a person in the video montage] was saying. Even in the parliament. And they are a small minority party which is allowed to exist in terms of our constitution.”