13 h. ago Trump’s ambush of South Africa’s president shows how low the US has fallen | Justice Malala

Instead of embarrassing Cyril Ramaphosa, the US president’s ‘gotcha’ moment illuminates the fact-free reality show that is Trump’s AmericaDonald Trump should really try harder.When the US president unexpectedly and dramatically dimmed the lights inside the Oval Office on Wednesday and played a video clip of the alleged burial site of white victims of “genocide”, he meant to embarrass and humiliate his guest, Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa. It was his “gotcha!” moment after four months of relentless social media attacks, executive orders, boycotts, and threats of economic and diplomatic sanctions. Continue reading...

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22 h. ago South Africa’s president praised for ‘calm demeanour’ during Trump meeting

In an Oval Office encounter in which the US president made false claims of ‘white genocide’, Cyril Ramaphosa kept his coolTrump’s ‘white genocide’ claims ignore the reality of life and crime in South AfricaMany South Africans praised their president Cyril Ramaphosa for staying calm when Donald Trump ambushed him in the Oval Office with a video purporting to back up his false claims of a “genocide” against white Afrikaner farmers.Others asked why Ramaphosa, who brought ministers, golfers and a billionaire with him, chose to walk into what he knew was likely to be a trap. Continue reading...

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24 h. ago Trump’s evidence of South Africa ‘white genocide’ contains images from Democratic Republic of Congo

Other images displayed by Trump during meeting with South African president Cyril Ramaphosa were false or misleadingThe evidence of supposed mass killings of white South Africans presented by Donald Trump in a tense White House meeting on Wednesday were in some cases images from the Democratic Republic of Congo, while footage shown during the meeting was falsely portrayed as depicting “burial sites”.“These are all white farmers that are being buried,” said Trump, holding up a print-out of an article accompanied by a picture during the contentious Oval Office meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Continue reading...

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28 h. ago Trump’s new approach to foreign diplomacy: Oval Office smackdowns

President has taken to berating foreign leaders and reporters at length, foregoing traditional press conferences

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31 h. ago The Guardian view on the US and South Africa: Trump looks to his base and partners look elsewhere | Editorial

The president’s cynical ambush of Cyril Ramaphosa was not about American interests but racial grievancesThe most telling moment of Donald Trump’s meeting with Cyril Ramaphosa was not the cynical screening of footage promoting false claims of “white genocide” in South Africa. It was when a reporter asked the US president what he wanted his counterpart to do about it. Mr Trump replied: “I don’t know.”Leaders enter the Oval Office uneasily, especially since the kicking administered to Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The South African president came armed with gratitude, two golf stars, a billionaire and compliments on the decor – and kept a cool head and a straight face as he was ambushed. Mr Ramaphosa later described it as “robust engagement”. But, in truth, it was a clash of two worlds rather than an interaction.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, ...

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32 h. ago Martin Rowson on Donald Trump’s Oval Office clash with Cyril Ramaphosa – cartoon

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34 h. ago Ramaphosa withstood Trump’s bizarre ambush – but he let down South Africans | Zanele Mji

Rather than trying to charm his US counterpart with golf, the South African president could have addressed the white supremacist attitudes holding our country backZanele Mji is a writer, investigative journalist and podcaster based in Johannesburg, South AfricaThe dust is still settling from Donald Trump’s latest “ambush” in the Oval Office. What started off as a series of pleasantries about golf between the US president and South African president Cyril Ramaphosa’s delegation quickly turned into a lecture – complete with a video screening and reams of printed-out news articles – about how a white genocide is supposedly under way in my home country.The delegation was largely successful in correcting that narrative. It emphasised that crime affects South Africans of all races and that white citizens are not specifically targeted. Zingiswa Losi, president of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, rightly pointed out that in rural areas, it is Black women who bear the brunt of vio...

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34 h. ago Watch Trump and South Africa’s president in tense exchange during Oval Office ambush

Donald Trump confronted South Africa’s president over unsubstantiated claims of genocide against white farmers in South Africa in a tense Oval Office exchange on Wednesday (21 May).

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40 h. ago Voices: I never thought I’d want to join the Cyril Ramaphosa fan club – until I saw him take on Trump

There were two heads of state in the Oval Office, writes Simon Walters – but only one statesman

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49 h. ago Donald Trump erupts in furious Oval Office tirade at journalist

Donald Trump went on a furious rant at a journalist in the Oval Office as he hosted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa - before telling him to "get out"

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49 h. ago Moment Donald Trump's makes brutal remark to reporter in Oval Office and demands he 'get out'

The US President was hosting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office when he was shown a video of white South Africans mourning their loved ones

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50 h. ago I'm glad Trump used my story to expose the shame of South Africa... I'm haunted by their vile anthem and the world should be too

Yesterday, President Donald Trump brandished an article written by me in the Oval Office to make a powerful political point to the leader of another country.

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51 h. ago Trump confronted South African president with ‘evidence’ of genocide – here’s what the video really showed

The president claimed he was showing footage of a mass ‘burial site’ of over a thousand slain white farmers in an off-the-rails Oval Office meeting on Wednesday. It was actually just a memorial service

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52 h. ago Trump ambushes South African leader with evidence of ‘genocide’ during Oval Office meeting

Despite tense moments, Ramaphosa says Trump ‘heard’ him, and meeting ‘went very well’

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53 h. ago ‘Wonder who he is going to fire’: Social media mocks Trump over noticeable bald spot during Oval Office meeting

Many took to social media to crack jokes after images of the president’s apparent bald spot emerged online.

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54 h. ago Trump ambushes South African president with video and false claims of anti

Cyril Ramaphosa responds to hectoring stunt in Oval Office and egregious claim of white genocide by suggesting calmUS politics live – latest updatesDonald Trump ambushed the South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, by playing him a video that he falsely claimed proved genocide was being committed against white people under “the opposite of apartheid”.The hectoring stunt on Wednesday set up the most tense Oval Office encounter since Trump’s bullying of Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February. But Ramaphosa – who earlier said that he had come to Washington to “reset” the relationship between the two countries – refused to take the bait and suggested that they “talk about it very calmly”. Continue reading...

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54 h. ago Trump attacks South Africa’s Ramaphosa over alleged targeting of white farmers

US president brandishes printed media reports of what he claims are murdered farmers in Oval Office exchange

Events

54 h. ago Trump’s attempt at Oval Office ‘gotcha’ moment backfired spectacularly

ANALYSIS: Armed with printouts of tabloid news articles and a montage of video clips, Trump launched into a meandering explanation of the current political situation in South Africa to its president Cyril Ramaphosa, Richard Hall writes.

Politics

55 h. ago Trump makes South African president squirm by playing 'white genocide' video montage during astonishing Oval Office moment

Donald Trump put on a stunning shaming in the Oval Office, showing clips to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa that purported to show evidence of a 'white genocide' in his country.

Politics

55 h. ago Trump attacks South Africa’s Ramaphosa over targeting of white farmers

US president brandishes printed media reports of murdered farmers in extraordinary Oval Office exchange

Events