Overview

• President Trump presented misidentified videos and images during a May 21 Oval Office meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, claiming they showed evidence of a 'white genocide.'
• Fact-checks confirmed the video depicted a 2020 temporary memorial for murdered farmers, not burial sites, and an image was from a Congo conflict, not South Africa.
• South African Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and U.S. officials refuted the claims, emphasizing that farm killings represent a small fraction of South Africa’s overall homicides.
• The episode has heightened tensions over South Africa's land expropriation law, U.S. aid freezes, and expedited refugee status for white South African farmers.
• Critics, including former National Security Adviser John Bolton, warn the incident undermines U.S. credibility and damages diplomatic relations.