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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Rachel Savage in Komati, Mpumalanga, South Africa

Trump’s ‘white genocide’ claims ignore the reality of life and crime in South Africa

two men speaking with each other surrounded by assistants
Donald Trump meets with South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, in the Oval Office of the White House on 21 May. Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA

It was an ambush crafted straight from a reality-TV playbook. The Oval Office meeting with South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, started with exchanges of pleasantries, before Donald Trump said “turn the lights down” and a video was played to support his false claims that white South African farmers are being murdered for their race.

Ramaphosa came prepared with champion white South African golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, whom the golf-mad Trump referred to as “friends”, as well as South Africa’s richest person, Johann Rupert.

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