Trump's takedown of South African president lacked just one element...facts

Washington D.C.: During a tense Oval Office meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday, Donald Trump presented what he claimed was evidence of mass killings of white South Africans—only for the images to be exposed as misrepresented or from entirely different countries.

Trump held up a print-out of an article, declaring, “These are all white farmers that are being buried.” However, the accompanying image was actually a screengrab from a Reuters video showing humanitarian workers handling body bags in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, following clashes with Rwanda-backed rebels.

Later, Trump played a video purporting to show mass graves of white South African farmers, marked by white crosses. In reality, the footage depicted a temporary roadside memorial near Newcastle and Normandein, honoring two murdered Afrikaner farmers—not a burial site. Rob Hoatson, who organized the memorial, told the BBC it was never intended to represent graves.

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The video also misleadingly featured Julius Malema, leader of South Africa’s far-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), chanting “Kill the Boer, kill the farmer”—a controversial anti-apartheid slogan. Trump falsely claimed Malema was a government official, suggesting his rhetoric reflected state policy. In reality, the EFF holds just 9.5% of parliamentary seats, and Ramaphosa’s delegation distanced themselves from Malema’s remarks.