President Donald Trump ambushed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with a video he said backs up claims of “White genocide” in South Africa, dimming the lights in the Oval Office and playing it out on screens during the bilateral meeting.
“We have thousands of stories talking about it. We have documentaries, we have news stories,” Trump said, turning to aides. “I could show you a couple of things.”
“Turn the lights down, and just put this on,” Trump said.
The nearly 5-minute video played out and was later posted on the White House X account, which they said shows “Proof of Persecution in South Africa.”
Ramaphosa initially laughed and then looked visibly uncomfortable during the presentation.
At one point Ramaphosa asked, “Have they told you where that is?”
Trump shook his head no.
“I’d like to know where that is, because this, I’ve never seen,” Ramaphosa said.
“It’s in South Africa,” Trump said.
Asked by a reporter what he’d like Ramaphosa to do about what was seen in the video, Trump said, “I don’t know.”
Trump picked up a thick stack of articles he said backed up his claims of “White genocide” and flipped through them.
During the meeting, Ramaphosa disputed Trump’s claim that White South Africans are suffering “genocide” in the country. Trump and several members of his administration, including South Africa-born adviser Elon Musk, have said that the South African government is persecuting its White minority. South Africa has strenuously denied the claims.