"All in all it was awful but it could have been worse"*
Oval Office shamefully spreading lies about "white genocide" ... Don't miss the poll ... What you are most worried about?
Two men sit in the Oval Office while a phalanx of photographers aim expensive cameras their way. One man is white; one is black. One is the office holder; one is a guest leader from another country. One is polite and earnest; one is demeaning and shamefully lying.
It was a hard meeting to watch, even in snippet form … even though we expected it to be a tense meeting. I was impressed that President Ramaphosa of South Africa would walk into the liar’s den. Earlier this month a Presidential Executive Order granted refugee status to fifty-nine white South Africans who arrived on a chartered flight, paid for by the US. This special treatment from an administration which has paused refugee status and terminated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghanistan caused an outcry.
In an article by Nesrine Malik in The Guardian, she gives us some of the backstory:
“Since the early days of his presidency, Donald Trump has made white farmers in South Africa one of his pet projects. It is an obsession that dates to his first term, where he amplified allegations by some Afrikaners that they are victims of ‘mass killings’ and suffer from violence and discrimination by vengeful Black South Africans.”
A New York Times article headlines: There is nothing to support this claim.
“And yet, in March, Trump expelled the South African ambassador to the US, cut off aid and extended an invitation for political asylum to white farmers, even as the US all but halts all refugee admissions to the country.”
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 misleading — The Guardian
Cruelty Comes in Many Forms
Trump’s action in this meeting were especially cruel to President Ramaphosa, a protege of Nelson Mandela who was one of the key mediators in the talks that ended apartheid in 1994.
One of the things that continues to amaze me about Donald Trump is not that he lies, but that he does it so badly. He ambushed the visiting President with printed materials and a video, all claiming white victims of genocide. These materials were easy targets and this video from Firstpost Africa will help you understand these “misunderstandings” (lies) that have been promoted by this administration.
(Author note: I am now using Otter.ai to capture recordings and summarize for me. The full summary of this video is available in the MORE: below. It’s not perfect but a welcome step forward.)
Video Summary Overview of the above video:
Donald Trump's video on South Africa distorted facts, linking Julius Malema's anti-apartheid chant to white genocide and misrepresenting burial sites as mass graves. The video was used to support his claims of widespread violence against white farmers. The discussion highlighted that South Africa does not face genocide, despite high crime rates. The misinformation could impact US-South Africa relations, but President Ramaphosa's calm demeanor during meetings with Trump may improve perceptions. The conversation emphasized the importance of accurate reporting and the potential for South Africa to leverage its diplomatic and economic strengths despite misrepresentations.
South Africa does have a problematic murder rate and one of the reasons President Ramaphosa met with President Trump was to solicit help in addressing that problem. South Africa’s crime statistics are not broken down by race, however Google AI offers the following insights:
South Africa has a complex history of racial inequality, and crime statistics are influenced by socio-economic factors and historical context.
Poverty, unemployment, and inequality are significant drivers of crime in South Africa. (Shouldn’t we be trying to avoid these drivers here in the US?)
Access to firearms and alcohol abuse are also factors that contribute to the high murder rate. (Shouldn’t we be trying to avoid these drivers here in the US?)
Focusing solely on race can oversimplify a complex issue and may obscure other important contributing factors.
The majority of murder victims are young black men, according to PBS.
A significant portion of murders occur in townships or poor areas primarily populated by black Africans.
While there have been claims and counter-claims about "white genocide" or disproportionate targeting of white farmers, these claims are largely unsubstantiated by official statistics and have been challenged by fact-checkers.
White South Africans, while a minority of the population, account for a smaller percentage of murder victims.
One South African newspaper described the meeting in the Oval Office as “All in all it was awful but it could have been worse.”
I wonder if that’s how we will describe the end of this regime. So far, we the people are taking to the streets, a few courageous folks are standing up and speaking out, and the courts are showing some spine.
These are still the early days and we need more of us pushing back. Together, we may be able to avoid the worst of what they have in mind. (And, if you have forgotten what that is, you might want to check out the Project 2025 Tracker.)
Please take this quick poll …
Also … please tell us what you are doing to push back in these troubling times.
More:
*South Africa's president is praised for staying calm during Trump's Oval Office ambush, by Kate Bartlett, NPR, 5/22/2025
The Story Behind the Mystery White Billionaire Who Told Trump There's No 'White Genocide' in South Africa During the White House meeting, Johann Peter Rupert told President Trump, "Just Google my name.", Phoenix S. Halley, The Root, May 22, 2025
Fact-checking Trump's Oval Office confrontation with Ramaphosa, by
Peter Mwai, Matt Murphy, Jake Horton & Joshua Cheetham BBC Verify
First group of South African refugees arrives in U.S., by Chris Benson & Darryl Coote, May 12, 2025
Full Otter.ai Summary of Fact-Check: The South Africa Trump Got Wrong During Meeting With Ramaphosa | Firstpost Africa
Its impossible for me to choose one things as they are all related to the whims of Trump. Social Security affects me personally. Money is the common thread among all these issues. Trump's growing his fortune by damaging people and the planet. Congress is worried about themselves financially and what Trump may inflict upon them and their families. They are not doing their job.
I saw this on the news and thought what the hell, as an Aussie I worry about how the average American is coping as the cost of stuff goes up and up and the President talks rubbish and alienates much of the world