Ramaphosa Stays Calm as Trump Confronts Him Over Farmer Claims

• May 22, 2025

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa kept his composure during a tense and highly choreographed meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, despite being confronted with inflammatory claims about the treatment of white farmers in South Africa.

The meeting, held three months into Trump’s second term, quickly became an orchestrated display. As cameras rolled, a journalist asked Trump whether he believed discredited claims of “white genocide” in South Africa. Ramaphosa responded first, saying the U.S. president should “listen to the voices of South Africans.”

Trump then signaled for the lights to be dimmed and a video to be played. The footage included clips of South African political activists chanting “Shoot the Boer,” a controversial anti-apartheid song. Though the individuals featured are not part of the South African government, Trump appeared to believe they had the power to influence or carry out land seizures—claims that are not supported by fact.

While Ramaphosa signed a bill earlier this year that allows land to be seized without compensation, the law has not yet been implemented. Throughout the encounter, Ramaphosa distanced himself from the political rhetoric shown in the video and chose not to respond emotionally to Trump’s provocations.

Adding to the drama of the event were two special guests Ramaphosa brought with him—famed South African golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen. Trump, a known golf enthusiast, welcomed their presence with enthusiasm. Also part of the South African delegation was a white agriculture minister from an opposition party, adding a diplomatic layer to Ramaphosa’s strategy.

Although Trump repeatedly returned to the subject of white South African farmers—many of whom have been allowed to settle in the U.S. as refugees—Ramaphosa avoided being drawn into a public argument. Instead, he used the presence of the golfers and a wealthy Afrikaner businessman to deflect the accusations. “If there was Afrikaner farmer genocide,” Ramaphosa said, “I can bet you, these three gentlemen would not be here.”

For Trump, the event served both as a foreign policy statement and a domestic performance aimed at energizing his political base. But Ramaphosa’s calm response and strategic presentation may have limited the impact of Trump’s confrontational approach.