In an astonishing confrontation in the Oval Office on Wednesday, President Trump lectured President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa with false claims about a genocide against white Afrikaner farmers, even dimming the lights to show what he said was video evidence of their persecution.
The meeting had been expected to be tense, given that Mr. Trump has suspended all aid to the country and created an exception to his refugee ban for Afrikaners, fast-tracking their path to citizenship even as he keeps thousands of other people out of the United States.
“We’ve had tremendous complaints about Africa, about other countries too, from people,” Mr. Trump said. “They say there’s a lot of bad things going on in Africa, and that’s what we’re going to be discussing today.”
The meeting quickly became a stark demonstration of Mr. Trump’s belief that the world has aligned against white people, and that Black people and minorities have received preferential treatment. In the case of South Africa, that belief has ballooned into claims of genocide.
At first, the two leaders seemed to glide over the most contentious issues, focusing instead on golf and a bit of foreign policy. Mr. Ramaphosa brought along two South African golfers, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, as guests, in a nod to the American president’s favorite sport.
But the discussions took a turn when a journalist asked what it would take for Mr. Trump to change his mind and see there was no “white genocide” in South Africa.
Mr. Ramaphosa, answering for the president, said: “It will take President Trump listening to the voices of South Africans.”
Mr. Trump was ready with his response. “Turn the lights down and just put this on,” he told his aides.
A booming video mash-up began to play, including footage of people calling for violence against white farmers in South Africa. One clip showed white crosses planted alongside a rural road stretching far into the distance, which Mr. Trump said were part of a burial site for murdered white farmers. The crosses were actually planted by activists staging a protest against farm murders.
Credit: NYTIMES
.