Overview

• Ebrahim Rasool was expelled from the US after describing the MAGA movement as a 'supremacist instinct' during a webinar, a characterization he stands by as an academic analysis.
• Upon his return to South Africa, Rasool was greeted by hundreds of supporters at Cape Town International Airport, where he referred to his expulsion as a 'badge of dignity.'
• US-South Africa relations have deteriorated over disputes including South Africa's ICJ case against Israel alleging genocide and US accusations of anti-white policies and support for Hamas and Iran.
• The Trump administration recently cut financial aid to South Africa and accused the country of seizing land from white farmers, a claim widely disputed and unsupported by evidence.
• Rasool has emphasized the importance of maintaining South Africa's values, resisting US pressure on the ICJ case, while seeking to restore diplomatic ties with the United States.