--- title: U.S.-South Africa Tension Explained as Trump Hosts Ramaphosa description: Trump strongly criticized Ramaphosa’s governing of South Africa, claiming there has been a “genocide” of white farmers. canonical: https://time.com/7287435/united-states-south-africa-conflict-trump-ramaphosa-white-house-meeting/ author: Callum Sutherland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2025-05-21T15:35:03.000Z article:modified_time: 2025-05-21T22:49:29.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: U.S.-South Africa Tension Explained as Trump Hosts Ramaphosa og:description: Trump strongly criticized Ramaphosa’s governing of South Africa, claiming there has been a “genocide” of white farmers. og:url: https://time.com/7287435/united-states-south-africa-conflict-trump-ramaphosa-white-house-meeting/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt08ec3f881870959f/6998c6e225f3eebe52644a9c/GettyImages-2216310451.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5298 og:image:height: 2980 og:image:alt: President Trump Meets With South African President Cyril Ramaphosa At The White House og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: U.S.-South Africa Tension Explained as Trump Hosts Ramaphosa twitter:description: Trump strongly criticized Ramaphosa’s governing of South Africa, claiming there has been a “genocide” of white farmers. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt08ec3f881870959f/6998c6e225f3eebe52644a9c/GettyImages-2216310451.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # What to Know About Escalating U.S.-South Africa Tensions After Trump's White House Meeting With Ramaphosa > Sponsored content. 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Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Callum Sutherland](https://time.com/author/callum-sutherland/) ## Callum Sutherland Reporter Updated: May 21, 2025 10:49 PM UTCPublished: May 21, 2025 3:35 PM UTC  President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa and U.S. President Donald Trump exchange words during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on May 21, 2025 in Washington, D.C. President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa and U.S. President Donald Trump exchange words during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on May 21, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images by [Callum Sutherland](https://time.com/author/callum-sutherland/) ## Callum Sutherland Reporter Updated: May 21, 2025 10:49 PM UTCPublished: May 21, 2025 3:35 PM UTC After months of [escalating tensions](https://time.com/7213703/trump-south-africa-elon-musk-white-land-expropriation-act-explainer/) between the U.S. and South Africa, President Donald Trump hosted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House on Wednesday. Prior to the meeting, Ramaphosa expressed hopes of [reaching a trade deal with the U.S.](https://x.com/CyrilRamaphosa/status/1923379283197559069), but the Oval Office sit-down proved to be a tense affair. Trump showed a video and printed news articles of what he said was evidence of the persecution of white South Africans. Ramaphosa vehemently denied allegations of a "white genocide," as he has done before. A reporter in the Oval Office asked what it would take for Trump "to be convinced that there's no white genocide” in South Africa. Ramaphosa jumped in and offered to answer, saying: "It will take President Trump listening to the voices of South Africans." To which Trump said: "We have thousands of stories talking about it \[a genocide\], documentaries, and news stories... it has to be responded to." He then instructed for the lights to be turned down, so he could play a video that included footage of South African opposition leaders calling for the death of white farmers. Ramaphosa asked where the footage had been filmed, and said he'd never seen it. "We need to find out," he said. “There is criminality in our country. People who do get killed, unfortunately through criminal activity, are not only white people,” Ramaphosa told Trump. **Read More**: [_Trump Pushes False ‘White Genocide’ Claims in Tense Meeting With South African Leaders_](https://time.com/7287527/trump-south-africa-ramaphosa-oval-office/) The meeting came at a pivotal time, as since returning to the White House for his second term, Trump has strongly criticized Ramaphosa’s governing of South Africa, continuously pushing false claims that there has been a “genocide” of white farmers. Much like today, Ramaphosa’s government has maintained its denial of those allegations. There’s a history between Trump and Ramaphosa, as this is not the first time there has been friction. In 2018, during his first term, Trump [received criticism from the South African government](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-under-fire-claim-large-scale-killing-white-farmers-south-n903171) after posting what South African officials referred to as “false information” via social media about "the large scale killing of farmers" in the country. Trump asked then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo [to "closely study" the situation](https://x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1032454567152246785?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1032454567152246785%7Ctwgr%5Ea26d778f9d5568db5ade7f11bc43139e6267d37e%7Ctwcon%5Es1%5Fc10&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcnews.com%2Fpolitics%2Fdonald-trump%2Ftrump-under-fire-claim-large-scale-killing-white-farmers-south-n903171), following a report from Fox News citing that the “South African government is now seizing land from white farmers.” South African officials said that Trump’s assessment of the issue was a “narrow perception” which only sought “to divide” their nation and “remind” them of their colonial past. Meanwhile, thus far during Trump's second term, Elon Musk—who leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and was present during the Oval Office meeting—has joined Trump as a vocal critic of the South African government. Musk was born in Pretoria, South Africa, and still holds citizenship. In February, the Tesla CEO directly addressed Ramaphosa in [a post on X, saying](https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1886321811937189902): “Why do you have openly racist ownership laws?” In early May, Musk’s AI bot [Grok was found to be posting about “white genocide” in South Africa](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/may/14/elon-musk-grok-white-genocide), in response to unrelated posts and requests.The issue was said to be resolved within hours, and Musk’s company has since stated that the issue was due to an [unauthorized change to the bot’s prompts from a rogue employee](https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/16/business/a-rogue-employee-was-behind-groks-unprompted-white-genocide-mentions), adding that the system would be updated to address the problem. Here’s what to know about the escalating tensions between the United States and South Africa, and what led up to the emotionally Oval Office sit-down: ## **White farmer "genocide" allegations** Trump has alleged a genocide is being committed against white South Africans, something which Ramaphosa has vehemently denied. [In a video posted on X on May 16](https://x.com/CyrilRamaphosa/status/1923383420303876475), the South African President said: “We all know as South Africans, both black and white, that there is no genocide here… The false stories that have been perpetrated, we all know are not true, are not a reflection of who we are.” [Trump Administration officials greeted over 50 Afrikaners](https://time.com/7284895/south-african-refugees-landed-trump/), descendants of mainly Dutch colonial settlers who arrived in South Africa in the 1600s, on May 12 as they arrived in the United States as refugees. These were the first official refugees to arrive in the U.S. under the Trump Administration, after the President suspended all refugee admissions on his first day in office. Speaking to reporters about the arrival, Trump said they had “essentially extended citizenship” so that the Afrikaners could “escape the violence.” Trump[ told reporters:](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/watch-trump-claims-white-farmers-are-target-of-genocide-in-south-africa) “We’re supposed to have a G20 meeting there \[in South Africa\], I don't know how we can go unless that situation is taken care of. It's a genocide that's taking place, that you people don’t want to write about.” [Responding to a TIME reporter ](https://time.com/7284895/south-african-refugees-landed-trump/)as to why Afrikaners were being accepted into the U.S. but not other refugees, Trump said: “Farmers are being killed… They happen to be white, but whether they’re white or black makes no difference to me. But white farmers are being brutally killed and their land is being confiscated in South Africa.” South Africa previously held a G20 meeting in February, but [the U.S. was noticeably absent.](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy9d4dzprz3o) U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio opened up about the decision [via social media,](https://x.com/SecRubio/status/1887288685517021298) saying: “I will NOT attend the G20 summit in Johannesburg. South Africa is doing very bad things. Expropriating private property. Using G20 to promote ‘solidarity, equality, & sustainability.’ In other words: DEI and climate change.” He added: “My job is to advance America’s national interests, not waste taxpayer money or coddle anti-Americanism.” Meanwhile, in February, [a South African court ruled that claims of a white genocide were “clearly imagined”](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyj1198wy3o) after blocking a wealthy benefactor’s donation to the white supremacist group Boerelegioen. ## **The Trump Administration expels South African Ambassador from the U.S.** In March, Rubio [expelled the South African Ambassador to the U.S](https://x.com/SecRubio/status/1900655283380146267). Ebrahim Rasool, calling him “a race-baiting politician who hates America” and hates the President. Rasool had [previously said that Trump was leading a white supremacist movement](https://news.sky.com/story/us-expels-south-african-ambassador-for-being-race-baiting-politician-13328948) in the U.S. during a webinar. Ramaphosa responded to the expulsion, calling it regrettable, but added that he was “[working on straightening out](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg10rle1lvo)” the tension. Rasool returned to South Africa to a sea of supporters welcoming him at the airport. [Speaking upon his arrival, he said:](https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/23/africa/south-african-ambassador-ebrahim-rasool-intl/index.html) “A declaration of persona non grata is meant to humiliate you. But when you return to crowds like this, and with warmth… then I will wear my persona non grata as a badge of dignity.” ## **Trump signed an Executive Order titled “Addressing Egregious Actions of The Republic of South Africa”** In February, Trump signed an [Executive Order](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/addressing-egregious-actions-of-the-republic-of-south-africa/) pausing all foreign aid to South Africa after claiming that land belonging to white South Africans was being confiscated and they were being treated unfairly. The Executive Order cited the South African Expropriation Act of 2024, enacted in January 2025, saying it enabled Ramaphosa’s government “to seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation.” Trump’s statement continued: “This Act follows countless government policies designed to dismantle equal opportunity in employment, education, and business, and hateful rhetoric and government actions fueling disproportionate violence against racially disfavored landowners.” [In response, the South African government said:](https://dirco.gov.za/government-of-south-africa-notes-the-usa-executive-order/) “It is of great concern that the foundational premise of this order lacks factual accuracy and fails to recognise South Africa’s profound and painful history of colonialism and apartheid.” The statement referred to the U.S. resettlement programme for Afrikaners as “ironic,” describing the South African group as one of the most economically-privileged in the country. The Expropriation Act allows [private land seizures by the government without compensation](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg9w4n6gp5o), raising concerns from Afrikaners about land possibly being taken by the state. In South Africa, [roughly three-quarters of private land is](https://www.reuters.com/world/stark-divide-that-south-africas-land-act-seeks-bridge-2025-02-09/) white-owned. White people make up an estimated 8% of the country’s population, whilst only 4% of privately-owned land is owned by black South Africans, despite them making up an estimated 80% of the population. ## **Trump Administration rebukes South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel** The Trump Administration disagreed with [South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ),](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-signs-executive-order-aimed-south-africa-white-house-official-says-2025-02-07/) which accused Israel of committing genocide against the people of Gaza in the Israel-Hamas war. In Trump’s Executive Order that cut aid to South Africa, the President said: “South Africa has taken aggressive positions towards the United States and its allies, including accusing Israel, not Hamas, of genocide in the International Court of Justice, and reinvigorating its relations with Iran to develop commercial, military, and nuclear arrangements.” South Africa [filed its case accusing Israel of genocide](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-67844551) in December 2023, saying it was “gravely concerned with the plight of civilians caught in the present Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip due to the indiscriminate use of force and forcible removal of inhabitants.” Ramaphosa’s government [filed evidence for their case in October 2024](https://dirco.gov.za/south-africa-delivers-evidence-of-israel-genocide-to-icj/). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/7287435/united-states-south-africa-conflict-trump-ramaphosa-white-house-meeting/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/7287435/united-states-south-africa-conflict-trump-ramaphosa-white-house-meeting/"},"headline":"What to Know About Escalating U.S.-South Africa Tensions After Trump's White House Meeting With Ramaphosa","datePublished":"2025-05-21T15:35:03.000Z","dateModified":"2025-05-21T22:49:29.000Z","description":"Trump strongly criticized Ramaphosa’s governing of South Africa, claiming there has been a “genocide” of white farmers, which Ramaphosa has vehemently denied.","url":"https://time.com/7287435/united-states-south-africa-conflict-trump-ramaphosa-white-house-meeting/","keywords":["Trump Administration","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt08ec3f881870959f/6998c6e225f3eebe52644a9c/GettyImages-2216310451.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Callum Sutherland","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/callum-sutherland/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt08ec3f881870959f/6998c6e225f3eebe52644a9c/GettyImages-2216310451.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"President Trump Meets With South African President Cyril Ramaphosa At The White House","caption":"President Trump Meets With South African President Cyril Ramaphosa At The White House","creditText":"Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/trump-administration/","name":"Trump Administration"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/7287435/united-states-south-africa-conflict-trump-ramaphosa-white-house-meeting/","name":"What to Know About Escalating U.S.-South Africa Tensions After Trump's White House Meeting With Ramaphosa"}}]}] ```