Washington, D.C. – On May 21, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump met with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office to address escalating tensions between the two nations. The meeting, attended by South African billionaires Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, and Johann Rupert, as well as U.S. businessman Elon Musk, aimed to mend ties strained by U.S. policy shifts, including aid cuts, the expulsion of South Africa’s ambassador, and the granting of refugee status to 59 white Afrikaner South Africans.
The discussion grew heated when a reporter questioned Trump about his claims of “white genocide” in South Africa, a narrative amplified by both Trump and Musk, who allege systematic violence against white farmers. Trump presented videos, including one of opposition politician Julius Malema chanting “kill the Boer” and another showing white crosses from a 2020 protest, which he claimed represented murdered farmers. Ramaphosa countered that the videos misrepresented South African policy and emphasized that crime affects all racial groups, with Black South Africans comprising the majority of victims. He noted that 2024 police data reported 26,232 murders nationwide, with only 44 farm-related killings, not exclusively targeting white farmers.
Ramaphosa’s delegation, including prominent white South Africans, was intended to challenge Trump’s narrative. He also gifted Trump a book on South African golf courses and sought to secure trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which South Africa risks losing. The leaders briefly discussed a potential Rwanda-DRC peace deal, with Trump claiming U.S.-brokered progress and Ramaphosa highlighting South Africa’s troop withdrawal to support regional stability.
While Ramaphosa described the talks as productive, South African officials later criticized Trump’s video presentation as misleading. The meeting underscored ongoing U.S.-South Africa tensions, with analysts warning that deteriorating relations could push South Africa toward closer ties with China and Russia. Both leaders expressed interest in further dialogue, with Ramaphosa inviting Trump to the G20 summit in Johannesburg in November 2025.