ramaphosa: yes. pres. trump: we will be discussing some of those things and the things you are reading about in the papers and media. i will say that look, the president is a truly respected man in many circles and in other circles he is considered controversial. we will be discussing some of the things that are taking place in south africa and see if we can help. and we want to help. we have had a long relationship with south africa. i have, because indirectly i have a lot of friends who live here. these are famous guys that i have a lot of friends who live there that are tremendous people. and we will be discussing that. we will have a nice conversation. and i appreciate that you guys came along. it really helps us in our thought process. it is a great honor to have you and i appreciate your call. i do not know where he got my number but i picked up and said i want to come over and see you. that was my honor and thank you for being here. pres. ramaphosa: thank you very much for welcoming us to this refor

president ramaphosa. he is a man who is certainly in some circles really respected, other circles a little bit less respected, like all of us in all fairness. pres. ramaphosa: we are all like that. pres. trump: we also have a few of our friends. ernie els is a great golfer. truly great golfer. matisse, we call him a really great golfer, too. you guys are fantastic. we could add gary to the group. gary player. a lot of golfers south africa has. there must be something in the water, right? these two guys -- gary's gary. and david frost also. another one i know is such a great one. was he as good a putter as they say, david? he's a putting machine, right? but he's another one. something very good about south africa and golf. golf is still doing great in south africa. they have young players i hear coming up that will be very good. it's an honor to have you here. my friend. it's an honor to have you, one of the greatest businessmen in south africa. thank you for being here. very great honor. appreciate it. we

president ramaphosa: nobody could take the land.mp: they take the land and kill the white farmer. nothing happens to them. president ramaphosa: people who do get killed unfortunately through criminal activity, the majority are black people. president trump: the farmers are not black. the people being killed in large numbers and you saw all of those gravesites. those are people, i guess on sunday morning they told me to pay respect to the loved ones that were killed. they died violently. we are here to talk about it. i will say this, if the news wasn't fake like nbc, abc, nbc, cbs, if they weren't fake news like this jerk that we have here. if we had real reporters they would be covering it. the fake news doesn't talk about that. ben: just a flavor of that meeting in the oval office earlier on. we have heard from cyril ramaphosa saying his meeting with donald trump when very well -- went very well. our south african correspondent was following that meeting in the oval office as it was being broadcast live. she is in johannesburg and

ramaphosa wanted to bring in people that he knew would help massage president trump's ego. these were golfers that he admires and has admired over the years, as well as wealthy businessmen who are of afrikaans descent, who have continued to enjoy success here in south africa. that combination of not only a racially mixed delegation, but also of people who have economic influence in south africa, seems to have done the trick. and he was able to steer the conversation from unfounded claims back to the matter at hand, which is trying to secure a trade deal between south africa and the us. now, away from the media and even once the cameras have gone, south africa has said they will continue to try and smooth those relations between the us and themselves and, of course, correct whatever misinformation comes out of the trump administration. why is this important? south africa is africa's most industrialised nation and a big trading partner with the us. this is a relationship they want to not only nurture but continue to build on. bbc news, johannesburg. joining me live is robyn c

president ramaphosa.is a man who in some work goals is very respected and less respected in some circles like all of us. >> president ramaphosa: we are all like that. [laughter] >> president trump: we also have some of my friends. a truly great golfer. and a really we call him a really great golfer too. we committed, and gary to the group. what a group of golfers the south africans have. there must be something in the water, right? >> president ramaphosa: yes, it is the water, sir. >> president trump: and gary is gary. david frost also, another one that i know is a great one. was he as good a -- he is a putting machine. something very good about south african golf. golf is doing great in south africa. i hear their young players coming up who are very good. it's an honor to have you here. it's an honor to have you, one of the greatest businessmen in south africa, and along me. thank you for being here. it's a very great honor. we are going to be discussing certain things. as you know, we have the g20 going

donald trump s'en prend à cyril ramaphosa.on homologue sud-africain les "persécutions" dont serait victime la minorité blanche dans son pays. après la diffusion de vidéos dans le bureau ovale, ce dernier a tenté de se défendre, a rappelé que la criminalité en afrique du sud tue avant tout des noirs. il a bon espoir de recevoir donald trump à johannesburg, en novembre, pour le sommet du g20. j'ai le plaisir d'être accompagné ce matin de bruno daroux, delphine liou et jules boiteau. bonjour à tous. bruno, votre décryptage est consacré aux incidents qui se sont déroulés hier, en cisjordanie. - bruno daroux: avec cet isolement grandissant d'israël sur la scène internationale et, plus inquiétant, une crispation grandissante entre israël et ses alliés occidentaux. les européens, surtout après ce qu'il s'est déroulé hier à jénine, et même les américains avec l'administration de donald trump sont comptés parmi eux. pour l'instant, benyamin nétanyahou reste droit dans ses bottes. il annonce que son armée va occuper toute la bande de ga

i think president ramaphosa was a in an impossible position. he was on president trump's turf, and president trump has a habit of doing these oval office meetings of insulting, talking down and embarrassing his guests. but i think your reporter, what she said, the reaction from south africa, president ramaphosa did fairly well in not taking the bait, remaining calm, starting at by flattering trump, presenting the multiracial delegation. i don't know how successful that was, but i think that was president trump's intention, to embarrass the south african president. but these claims have been widely discredited, these claims of white genocide in south africa. it seems odd to play to his base. i mean, he is the president, he is not on the campaign trail. i think it is true that try to gavin as a president, you generally given to whole country. there are vast numbers of americans, for whom these claims are not credible. for any government who is meeting probably the most important democracy in the african continent, he would be careful, and knowing

and president ramaphosa said, we're not doing that. but he was not believing it, and he believes that we in the media are not reporting it. after 15 years reporting in south africa, i found no evidence. we've looked at it again. south africa does not release crime statistics by race, but they do release the number of farm murders. and we looked into it from april to april to december 2024. there were 36 farm murders. only seven of them were farmers, so the other 29 were likely other black or colored workers in those farms. but none of that gets understood in this kind of heat of the moment where president ramaphosa sits uncomfortably trying to correct an impression which he was hoping to avoid, and discuss this away from the cameras. one hour in, they're still at it. >> boris there has been debate over that song, that anti-apartheid chant. right. and for people who don't have a historical context, it does potentially appear more literal. talk to us about the debate that has happened inside of south africa with the recognition of how it

first zelensky, now ramaphosa getting a dressing down in the oval office. i guess this is what foreign leaders visiting the white house are going to have to learn to accept. i think so, and i think actually we will have seen that president ramaphosa probably did learn from the zelensky meeting, you saw them react very differently, when zelensky was here at the white house in february, there was a sense that he had taken the bait from jd vance and president trump and kind of, that his temper got out of hand very quickly. today with president ramaphosa, even though this was obviously very well fought through preplanned show that the trump team put out, you saw him respond quite calmly. i think the feeling among the south african team will be that this was bad and not ideal and that they didn't... the focus was not on trade or strengthening the relationship, but also he didn't respond to forcefully and make things worse with president trump once he was presented with this video and the articles, for example. i guess you could look on it as an ambush, but you c

ramaphosa disputed the claim, but the u.s.ssed on, playing a video that purported to show racially motivated crimes against white farmers. pres. trump: i can show you a couple of things. it has to be responded to. let me see the articles, please. skews me, turn the lights down -- excuse me, turn the lights down. caitriona: in response, president ramaphosa and some members of his delegation said what was heard in the video did not represent the government's policy. >> what you saw, the speeches that were being made, one, that is not government policy. we have paid much -- we have a multiparty democracy in south africa. this allows express themselves, political parties to adhere to various policies, and in many cases, or in some cases, those policies do not go along with government policy. our government policy is completely against what he was saying, even in the parliament. and then a small minority party which is allowed to exist in terms of our constitution. pres. trump: but you do allow them to take land. you do allow them

and how do you think president ramaphosa handled the white house meeting? and how would you describe the state of play when it comes to the relationship between the us and south africa? well, i think he handled it in a very dignified way, and i think president mandela would have been proud of him. i mean cyril ramaphosa was always one of the people he favoured to become president of south africa and, of course, at this moment he's also running a coalition government with a predominantly white-supported party as well. so he was able to speak from a national point of view and did, as you say, manage to avoid it turning into a slapping match. i think he handled it in a very dignified way. and where do you see the relationship going forward when it comes to investment, trade and tariffs that trump has inflicted on many nations? well, it's complicated. of course, the republicans and trump don't like the fact that south africa is such a prominent member of the brics, which russia and china are also part of, and it's true that there has been quite some chinese and

cyril ramaphosa is no stranger to tough negotiations.he was sitting with nelson mandela in a room with white men who once led this country, and led the country because my racially oppressive apartheid system. along with nelson mandela, he helped to negotiate a peaceful agreement and steer the country towards democracy. this time around, he finds himself in another room with tough negotiations expected, in a meeting with the us's donald trump. but let's get one thing clear, mr ramaphosa has said he is no amateur to the game, that he brings some skills that help equalise things in the oval office. he is hoping to not only broke a trade deal between the us and south africa, one that could benefit both countries, but is also hoping to try and thaw recently frosted relations between the two nations. mr trump has made no secret of his displeasure around south africa's on palestine. he has also repeatedly dug deep on claims that white south africans are under a genocide in south africa, claims that land is being seized with no compensation, som

president cyril ramaphosa he's a man certainly in some circles really respected. let me see the articles please if you would and excuse me, turned the lights down. the lights down and just put this on. it's right behind you. video plays. after that moment south africa's president offered this defence, saying the clips did not represent the realtiy of south african policy. let me clarify because what you saw the speeches that were being made. one, that is not government policy. we have a multiparty democracy in south africa that allows people to express themselves, political parties to adhere to various policies and in many cases or in some cases, those policies do not go along with government policy. our government policy is completely completely against what he was saying, even in the parliament. and a small minority party which is allowed to exist in terms of our constitution. would you allow them to take land, you do allow them to take land and then when they take the land, they killed a white farmer and when they killed a white farmer, nothing happens to them.

ramaphosa is giving the briefing now here in washington, dc after that meeting with president trump a little earlier in the white house must have a listen in and see what he is saying. we want to take a question. mr president, the sound is not great on that, we'll see if we can get a better line and have a dip in a little bit later on but i do know that president ramaphosa has made a joke at the beginning of that briefing sing he hoped anyone who was hoping for drama at the white house wasn't disappointed by what they saw and also said that he thinks president trump is still in doubt as to whether there is a white genocide is president trump us described in south africa. as a set, 59 afrikaners in the us arrived about a week ago and when they arrived, our senior correspondent spoke to one of them and that security what he had to say. you are a land thief, you're a racist, the whole time, they i've. you say you are not a racist. no, not at all. i have more black african friends than i do white friends. my machine is being cut up in a mall for reporting everything to the police, not get

the visit by mr ramaphosa comes just over a week after a group of 59 white south africans arrived inthe us after being granted refugee status. the two presidents will talk about trade, with ramaphosa hoping to ease tensions between the two countries. let me take you to the live pictures at the white house, the cameras set up for that meeting. we should see the arrivals in the next while. usually, shortly afterwards, we get that spray of pictures with the president and whoever the head of state is talking to the media gathered in the oval office. we will watch for those live events and carry them here as soon as they happen. let's speak to sanusha naidu, who is a foreign policy analyst and senior research fellow at the institute for global dialogue, a south african-based foreign policy thinktank. in terms of the principal issues, tell me what is at stake here? i think it's really around the first sight of both presidents of each other, face-to-face. what is at stake is around what is going to be navigated in terms of it having been a turbulent relationship not just with the trump pres

cyril ramaphosa did not appear to lose his cool. the south african economy is struggling and both countries have said they want to reset trade ties, so where do you think this relationship goes from here? i will say at the pleasure of first meeting president cyril ramaphosa when he was a labour leader in 1991 when i first went to south africa. he is always maintained his equanimity and the toughest of circumstances and he ought to be saluted for how he managed a difficult moment today. i would say this, that in america, bipartisan secondaries, members of congress, republicans and democrats know the importance of the relationship and know they have to be thinking about the long-term security in the region, economic stability in that region and across the atlantic and know we have to do something to root improve this relationship irrespective of the political games of one actor in the oval office. i am concerned because at the end of the series there is a renewal and there is a withdrawal of health aid to south africa and the rest of

ramaphosa: have they told you where that is mr. president? pres. trump: no. pres. ramaphosa: i would like to know where that is because this i have never seen. pres. trump: i mean, it is in

cyril ramaphosa is no stranger to tough negotiations.he was sitting with nelson mandela in a room with white men who once led this country and led the country's racially oppressive apartheid system. along with nelson mandela, he helped to negotiate a peaceful agreement and steer the country towards democracy. this time around, he finds himself in another room with tough negotiations expected in a meeting with the us's donald trump. but let's get one thing clear. mr ramaphosa has said he is no amateur to the game, that he brings some skills that could help equalise things in the oval office. he is hoping to not only broker a trade deal between the us and south africa, one that could benefit both countries, but is also hoping to try and thaw recently frosty relations between the two nations. mr trump has made no secret of his displeasure around south africa's stance on palestine. he's also repeatedly dug deep on claims that white south africans are under a genocide in south africa, claims that land is being seized with no compensation, som

this is seen as an important meeting for ramaphosa. he is missing some important meetings at home in order to come to washington. those budget talks have threatened the coalition government? alexander: a very intense day for south african. the national budget was tabled for the third time today. they failed to get it through. as a result of difficulties within the coalition government, it has been tabled today. the president wasn't here because he wanted to attend this meeting with president trump in washington. fixing as best he can the relationship with the united states is on his agenda. he has made it clear his focus is to try to organize a more normalized diplomatic relationship with the united states and try to set up some kind of trade arrangement to avoid the tariffs you referred to. scarlett: thank you so much. alexander parker joining us and kailey leinz cohost of balance of coming up, keeping an eye on plunging today. one of the big movers following its latest results and sales forecast which missed estimates. we will have m

cyril ramaphosa disputed president trump's claims. and in the days that have followed, the south african president insisted the meeting went very well. but the logistics around that shock-and-awe moment in the office have caught some attention. the pre-prepared video and presentation, the time and place in front of global media and understanding of what makes a big moment in front of the cameras, a nod, perhaps, to another iteration of donald trump, the former reality tv star and producer. so let's bring back in rodney davis, former republican congressman, joi chaney, democrat strategists. joi of what did you make of these scenes as we have now seen or become accustomed to seeing world leaders in the oval office with donald trump really open to media and to the world, of the kovac on? he has just made such a joke of international politics and diplomacy. frankly, little bit of a joke of the united states of but one thing is he raise the profile of other leaders and encourage them to come here and stand up to him and create a lot of the

president ramaphosa pushed back on the claims - and the us president then played a prepared video showing widely-disputed evidence of racial volence against white farmers in south africa. we're going to play that exchange for you now, leading up to the moment president trump cued the video. it will take president trump listening to the voices of south africans, some of whom are his good friends, like those who are here. when we have talks between us around a quiet table, it will take president trump to listen to them. i'm not going to be repeating what i've been saying. i would say if there was africana farmer genocide, i can bet you these three gentlemen would not be here, including my minister of agriculture. he would not be with me. so it will take him, president trump, listening to their stories, to their perspective. that is the answer to your question. but, mr president, i must say... mr crabb... no, no, wait, we have thousands of stories talking about it, we have documentaries, news stories. is natalie here, somebody had to turn that... i can show you a couple of things, and i woul

in the next few minutes president trump is due to welcome the south african president cyril ramaphosa to the white house. it comes with relations between the world's biggest economy and africa's biggest economy under strain. if the two sides can't agree a trade deal 30% tariffs on everything south africa sells to america are due to come into force in july. trade between the two was worth just over $20 billion last year but south africa is far more dependent on the relationship. three quarters of that trade was south african exports to the us including metals, vehicles and fruit and vegtables. us aid to south africa - worth $330 million last year and mostly spent on healthcare - has been blocked by president trump. he's unhappy with a range of south african policies including the treatment of white farmers. let's speak to our north america business correspondent erin delmore. what is the us hoping to achieve from these talks? broadly speaking, president trump talked about tariff rates and foreign investment into the us, and he has talked about this relationship with south africa, it is

that's president ramaphosa. >> well, i think he handled it as best as he could.e've seen from the experience of previous heads of state and government that have been in the oval office with president trump. that, you know, this the being with president trump on his own turf, is a really difficult place to be. it's very difficult to get out of it in a dignified way. and so i think that president ramaphosa handled it as well as he could with this ambush of, of the video. and i think that the presence of actual white south african landowners in the form of some of the people that were in the room with him to debunk some of these myths, i think really was helpful. and, you know, president trump, who sort of showed all of these articles that he was saying aren't in the mainstream media. many of those articles are from fringe outlets that aren't backed by any statistics at all. and even those images of the white crosses on the sides of the road, there is no site like that in south africa. a lot of these you know, bringing out the crosses are used in protest. south afri

but president ramaphosa tried to maintain and stay on message throughout that. so one group that's celebrating what happened, there is an organization that's been criticized by some as a white supremacist group, afriforum, the white afrikaner lobby group, told cnn this evening. they're very happy with how this went because for them, it illustrates that the issues in south africa cannot be swept under the table by ramaphosa and by his african national congress party, so they are happy because this went better than they could have expected. the president of the united states repeating the talking points often. what forward that video of the white crosses by the side of the road. that's part of the political stunts. and they use it not to represent 1000 graves, but to call attention to what they see as farm murders. caitlyn. >> and that's part of the video we're showing it now that was shown inside the the oval today. you know, cnn has been covering this story and looking into what is happening in south africa. what is the reality of what's happening on the ground?

in the oval office between us president donald trump and his guest, south africa's leader cyril ramaphosa. mr trump says mr ramaphosa's government is carrying out what he called a "genocide" against south africa's white farmers. our correspondent in south africa, pumza fihlani, went to the area which mr trump says is proof of the south african genocide agaist white farmers - here's what she found. killed a white farmer and take their land... a diplomatic meeting turned ambush. america's donald trump makes incendiary comments about what it's like to be a white farmer in south africa. these are all people that recently got killed. his counterpart, president cyril ramaphosa, uncomfortable but composed, sits through the so-called evidence of the claims. these are burial sites right here. over 1,000. we've come to the location shown in that video played in the oval office. there are no graves, there's no graveyard. in fact, we now know that the crosses in that same video were part of a protest organised by a local community after the death of a couple that was killed here. we're looking at gle

he was expelled from president ramaphosa's party more than a decade ago. another portion of the clip showed crosses and mounds lining the road, which president trump described this way. >> this is a very bad. these are the these are burial sites right here. burial sites over a thousand of white farmers. and those cars are lined up to pay love on a sunday morning. each one of those white things you see is a cross. and. there's approximately a thousand of them. they're all white farmers, and it's a terrible sight. i've never seen anything like it. both sides of the road you have crosses. those people are all killed. >> and president ramaphosa, who had sat silently through the video, had a question afterwards. >> have they told you where that is, mr. president? no, i'd like to know where that is because this i've never seen. i don't. okay. >> it's in south africa. >> that's where. i need to find out. >> well, keeping them honest, it's entirely possible he knows the answer to that, which is that this purported burial ground is not a burial ground. the crosses

mr trump said cyril ramaphosa's government is carrying out the genocide against white farmers.killed a white farmer and take their land... a diplomatic meeting turned ambush. america's donald trump makes incendiary comments about what it's like to be a white farmer in south africa. these are all people that recently got killed. his counterpart, president cyril ramaphosa, uncomfortable but composed, sits through the so-called evidence of the claims. these are burial sites right here. over a thousand. we've come to the location shown in that video played in the oval office. there are no graves. there's no graveyard. in fact, we now know that the crosses in that same video were part of a protest organised by a local community after the death of a couple that was killed here. we're looking at glenn and vida rafferty. roland collier, a farmer, is their nephew and tells me he is still haunted by the gruesome find. they'd broken, ransacked the house. broken open the safes. it was quite a hectic scene. despite the misleading use of the video, he says he's pleased violence on farms is r

ramaphosa,hief negotiatorf the end of apartheid, kept his cool.ensions between the two countries were high long before ramaphosa arrived in washington in february, trump issued an executive order freezing aid to south africa over me of the same claims that he brought up this week. in march, secretary of state marco rubio declared south africa's ambassador to the u.s., ebrahim rasool persona non grata and expell him. well, amssador ebrahim rasool jos me now from cape town. mr. ambassador, thank you r being with me. i want to talk a little bit about this meeting in the oval office and then look ahead at the relationship between the u.s. a south africa.irst, president ramapha said that it was not dramatic, but the are plen of people who characteri it as an ambushf your president. what's your view of what happened athe oval office >> no. >> thank you very much. >> ihink that the id of. >> an ambush. >> is irlyccurate. >> in the. a president, you don't expect diplomacy from. a superpower. >> to descend into such haranguing, hectoring blusring. >> engag

we are also waiting for that meeting between donald trump and south africa's president, cyril ramaphosa - we'll bring you that when we get it. that is the scene, the flags, the welcome teams already and in the next few minutes we will see donald trump emerge there and greet matheus camilo and a host of issues on the agenda, trade is one, the weight afrikaner community and cuts to aid all of that on the agenda all of that as he says he wants to reset relations between the two countries. that meeting is to take off in the next few minutes and we will carry that live here on bbc news. but let's begin with a big political story here in the uk. the prime minister has announced a u-turn on the decision to limit winter fuel payments for pensioners - saying he wants to make more older people eligible. more than nine million pensioners lost out on the payment last year, and the announcement on who will now qualify is expected later in the year. but the announcement came after, the minister in charge of disability benefit reforms, doubled down on her plans, saying the country cannot afford the cu

in a couple of hours time president trump is due to host the south african president cyril ramaphosa at the white house. it comes with relations between the world's biggest economy and africa's biggest economy - under strain. if the two sides can't agree to a trade deal, 30% tariffs on everything south africa sells to america are due to come into force in july. trade between the two was worth just over $20 billion last year, but south africa is far more dependent on the relationship. three quarters of that trade was south african exports to the us including metals, vehicles and fruit and vegtables. and us aid to south africa - worth $330 million last year and mostly spent on healthcare - has been blocked by president trump. he's unhappy with a range of south african policies including the treatment of white farmers. alan mukoki is the ceo of the south african chamber of commerce and industry, which describes itself as the voice of south african business and has about 20,000 members. alan, how high are the stakes for this meeting today? good afternoon. absolutely, it is a very importa

mr trump says mr ramaphosa's government is carrying out what he called a genocide against south africa's white farmers. our correspondent in south africa, pumza fihlani, went to the area which mr trump says is proof of this genocide - here's what she found. killed a white farmer and take their land... a diplomatic meeting turned ambush. america's donald trump makes incendiary comments about what it's like to be a white farmer in south africa. these are all people that recently got killed. his counterpart, president cyril ramaphosa, uncomfortable but composed, sits through the so-called evidence of the claims. these are burial sites right here. over a thousand. we've come to the location shown in that video played in the oval office. there are no graves. there's no graveyard. in fact, we now know that the crosses in that same video were part of a protest organised by a local community after the death of a couple that was killed here. we're looking at glenn and vida rafferty. roland collier, a farmer, is their nephew and tells me he is still haunted by the gruesome find. they'd broken, ran

ramaphosa jumping in. >> it will take president trump listening. to the voices of south africans, some of whom are his good friends. >> reporter: then in an unprecedented move, president trump directed an aide to play a video for the visiting president. >> excuse me. turn the lights down. turn the lights down. >> reporter: showing south african opposition leaders calling for violence against white farmers. >> we are cutting the throat of whiteness. >> reporter: and alleged burial sites. >> i'd like to know where that is, because this i've never seen. >> it's in south africa. >> i need to find out. >> these are people that are officials, and they are saying kill the white farmer and take their land. >> reporter: ramaphosa saying he strongly rejects the messages in the video. >> our government policy is completely, completely against what he was saying. >> reporter: acknowledging violence including in rural areas, but saying most crime victims are black. >> there is criminality in our county. people who do get killed unfortunately through criminal ac

president ramaphosa was right in the middle of the transition in 1990. so it's been 35 years of anc government. i know there's a lot of anger through the transition. a lot of stuff happening in apartheid days. we grew up in apartheid. but i don't think two wrongs makes a right. president mandela, when he came out of prison for all that time didn't come out with hatred. you know? really unified our nation through sport. we won the world cup in '95. >> four times. >> we won the african nations kept in soccer. we won some majors as golfers and so forth. so what i'm trying to say is this has been a long time co coming. that's why we really wanted to meet you, the administration, and see our way forward. we still want to see our country flourish. we've got some great things going on. businesses getting involved with government. farming. farmers are getting involved in local municipalities trying to rebuild some of the infrastructure that's been decaying for a long time. so there is a of existence going on and help from a lot of areas. we need, i feel we need

but president ramaphosa is absolutely right that so many more crimes and victims are actually black. and so this reminds me, as i'm sure it does for you, catherine, of some of the fox news coverage during the presidential campaign that suggested things that you and i never saw in our cities on the east coast, in boston, washington, new york, suggesting that immigrants were running wild and killing americans, and cities in america were such dangerous hotspots because of all this crime being committed by immigrants that were illegally running around the country, especially in our cities, none of us experienced that. the numbers did not bear that out, but it was very popular in terms of a conspiracy that was being promoted on some sites and in social media. but the tragedy here is donald trump has access to the absolute best information in the world. it's called the presidential daily brief, and he's able to ask additional questions if he has them and if he asks his intelligence community about this, the answer will be definitively, exactly what president ramaphosa told him in the oval

trump sprung a video on an unsuspecting cyril ramaphosa designed to back mr.mp's unsubstantiated claims that there is a genocide underway in south africa targeting white farmers. >> john: in recent days, the president has welcomed white refugees from south africa to the united states, just weeks after signing an executive order suspending america's refugee admission program. >> maurice: debora patta is in south africa and is south african. we will hear from her in a moment. >> john: but we begin with weijia jiang at the white house. weijia? >> reporter: good evening. for months, president trump has accused south africa of condoning genocide, even cutting off all u.s. assistance to the country back in march. today, the south african president was hoping to reset the relationship, but trump had a different plan. the meeting started with a friendly jab from president trump. >> he is a man who is certainly in some circles really respected, other circles a little bit less respected. >> reporter: but when south african president cyril ramaphosa denied trump's accusa

cyril ramaphosa was hoping to discuss trade and other geopolitical issues.nstead, he was met with a highly orchestrated presentation put on by president trump's team, complete with articles and a video. president trump said backed up his claims of white genocide. he also repeated a widely debunked allegation he's been amplifying for months that white farmers in south africa are having their land seized and are being killed in massive numbers. >> but you. >> do. >> allow them. >> to take land. >> no no no. >> no no. to allow them to take land. nobody can. then when. >> they take the. >> land. >> they kill the white farmer. and when they kill the white farmer, nothing happens to them. >> no. there is. >> nothing happens. >> there is criminality in our country. people who do get killed, unfortunately, through criminal activity, are not only white people. majority of them are black people. and we have now been utilizing. >> the farmers are not black. i don't know if that's good or bad, but the farmers are not black. >> more details now on the meeting from cnn's

. >> president ramaphosa. and he is a man who is certainly, in some circles, really respected other circles a little bit less respected, like all of us. in all fairness, like all. >> we all like that. >> the meeting quickly turning into a tense confrontation. president trump accusing south africa's black majority. government of not doing enough to protect white minority farmers. from racial persecution. >> they're white farmers and they feel that they're going to die. >> and after amplifying unsubstantiated claims of genocide, the president was asked if he believes it's happening. >> i haven't made up my mind. i hate to see it from the standpoint of south africa. >> the trump. administration this month fast tracked 59 white afrikaner refugees to become american citizens, despite effectively banning others, including afghans, many of whom had risked their lives to help u.s. forces. today, i pressed president trump why it's appropriate to welcome white afrikaners when other refugees have had their protected stat

against white people in south africa, which south african president cyril ramaphosa and other officialstry. >> have vigorously denied. at one point, trump played a 4.5 minute video that the white house said was proof of persecution of. >> white. >> farmers in south africa. >> it included clips. >> of people talking about. >> killing white people. >> ramaphosa then responded to that video. >> our government policy is completely, completely against what he was saying, even in the parliament, and they're a small. minority party. >> which is allowed. >> to exist. >> in terms of our constitution. >> but you do allow them to take land? >> no, no. >> no, no, you do allow them to take land. nobody can take the land. they kill the white farmer. and when they kill the white farmer, nothing happens to them. no. >> there is. >> nothing happens. >> there is criminality in our country. people who do get killed. >> unfortunately, through criminal. >> activity, are not. >> only white. >> people. >> majority of them are black people. >> additionally, doge leader elon musk, who is a native of south afric

awkward, offensive, factually challenged meeting between trump and south african president cyril ramaphosa. don't worry, we will talk more about that a little bit later, but we want to talk first about how the very next day, musk was over on capitol hill to meet with republicans on the energy committee to talk. i, our next guest summed it up this way, quote, elon musk isn't gone. joining us now, the author of that post, democratic congressman greg casar of texas, chair of the congressional progressive caucus. thank you, congressman, so much for joining us. musk thinks he's done enough. he says he's done enough. so why is he still hanging around washington? >> elon musk isn't gone. look, billionaires have purchased presidencies and run the federal government behind closed doors before elon musk's real innovation was going out there in public and bragging about running the government on social media. media. so when the american people were rightly outraged and pushed back, now he's trying to say that he's going to step back, but he doesn't want to actually step back any of his powers. and as

and so president ramaphosa began.l, he complimented trump on the redecoration of the white house. he thanked him for help during covid, and he said they hope to one question was placed about what will it take r president trp to rognize there's no whe gede? and then it all th it that's when you saw this video played and this reams of articles printed. many south africans are praising how cool, calm and collected president ramaphosa appeared to be throughout that hour long ambush that president trump put on. he did push back when he could, but he didn't raise his voice. and part of the reason is because president ramaphosa has practiced at this. he was the chief negotiator for nelson mandela's anc party when they ended apartheid. he has done lots of deals and he was prepared for this. he told me last week before this meeting that he learned at the feet of nelson mandela. and you saw that in the white house. but he brought his own white south african successful entrepreneurs, his agriculture minister, a billionaire, joha

nick:, no, ramaphosa said there is emphatically no genocide happening in south africa.t is at issue here to step back is a legacy of apartheid, when the government dispossessed many black south africans' land. for the last 30 years or so since the end of apartheid, the government has tried to redistribute that land mostly by purchasing land from willing white settlers, but hasn't solved the problem. the afrikaners represent 7% of the population but in more than half the land in south africa. a new law is designed to take land from white farmers basically with eminent domain as we call it here in the u.s., but with what south africa says are provisions for compensation and due process. as we are today, south africa's argument is that the violence is not about race, it affects everyone and is more about class. geoff: when you talk to your sources, when you talk to experts in the field, what are they telling you about this what -- about what this moment means for the u.s. and south africa and the region more broadly? nick: when you talk to the president's advisers, they wi

president ramaphosa answered the question. but look, it unfolded like any leader meeting that i can recall. the only difference than the zelenskyy meeting the vice president and members of the cabinet did not weigh in and pounce on him as well. >> notably, the president came with these video montages and these articles, these stories of farmers being killed. clearly, the white house orchestrated this to give off a certain impression. >> there's no doubt about it. i mean, for all the oval office meetings we've been in, we've all been in and we've all covered the white house. i can't recall audio visual equipment in the oval office when there's been a presidential leader there. so clearly these videos were keyed up. the president, the visiting president had no context to what these were. so it was sort of unable to describe, but the white house knew what they were. then the president was going through. the american president was going through clips from the daily mail and other places. so it was clearly that's why you used the w

do you think that ramaphosa met the moment here? >> i think the south african president initially came to the meeting, and you actually saw him try to extend some olive branches. he tried to direct the conversation to trade to critical minerals. he brought golfers that he knew the president would listen to if not listening to his delegation that was presented there. and then when a reporter did ask about these false claims of white genocide, you also saw him try to explain the reality on the ground in his country that president trump then dismissed. you saw him basically say that the data backs this up. police statistics in south africa do show that on the subject of killings, there are not mass killings of white south africans in south africa. there have been gruesome killings of white farmers, individual cases of that. but it's a systemic. the police data shows that right now that white south africans are not killed at a higher rate than any other south african. there is a broad crime problem in south africa that is very different

cyril ramaphosa was hoping to discuss trade and other geopolitical issues. instead, he was met with a highly orchestrated presentation put on by president trump's team, complete with articles and a video president trump said backed up his claims of white genocide. he also repeated a fringe, widely debunked allegation he's been amplifying for months that white farmers in south africa are having their land seized and are being killed in massive numbers. more details now on the oval office meeting from cnn's alex marquardt in washington. >> turn the lights down. >> an ambush in the oval office. trump out of nowhere, surprising the south african president with a video. montage. >> never be scared to kill. >> alleging to show incitement, persecution and murder of white south africans. >> these are burial sites right here. burial sites. over a thousand of white farmers. >> the stunning video featuring that misleading claim and an opposition figure from a minority party not in the government. president cyril ramaphosa gently pushed back against trump's extraordinar

and president cyril ramaphosa tried to explain that that is a member of an opposition party. and in fact, i have come out to even condemn some of the language that has been used by other opposition leaders. but but it's always been like that. there are songs that are provocative, but that has never been endorsed by government. not once. in fact, president cyril ramaphosa and some of the members of his administration have come out to say these some of these songs, some of this kind of language is not welcomed in this post-democratic south africa. >> interesting. >> yeah. so and to to your point about the statistics, in fact, the south african police sometimes do give us stats on race. and when you look at the statistics, most people who die from the farms are black people. mm-hmm. but the impression that's been created by the right wing groups in south africa is that there is, in fact a crisis in as far as white farmers are concerned. but as you heard from that white minister, who's the minister of agriculture, that's not really a genocide. it's a crime that affects black and

president trump played a video in front of president ramaphosa pushing claims of genocide. but you do allow them to take land. no, no. no no. you do allow them to take land. nobody can. then when they take the land, they kill the white farmer. nothing happens. there is criminality in our country. people who do get killed, unfortunately, through criminal activity, are not only white people. majority of them are black people. earlier this year, a south african judge dismissed the idea of genocide as not real, and the government says allegations about land seizures aren't true. the president is going to be able to put the facts before his counterparts and to demonstrate there's no mass expropriation of land taking place in south africa. there's no genocide taking place. secretary of state marco rubio defended the administration's decision to grant afrikaners refugee status while restricting other groups. why prioritize afrikaner farmers? well, because it's a small subset. it's a new issue, and the president identified it as a problem and wanted to use it as an example. the tru

so we've had bad surprises for zelenskyy and ramaphosa, but maybe there's a nice surprise for you.ook, seriously, i mean, i've worked on these meetings. these meetings are supposed to be choreographed. there are teams of people who come and the areas of disagreement are supposed to be quite small. they are to be worked out at the highest level. and the meetings are there for a purpose. in this case, the president just sandbagged somebody. and the united states does have some serious disagreements with south africa. south africa has been a leader in bringing this international court of justice false accusations against israel. that's a real issue. but on the farmers, ramaphosa is in trouble at home from the person quoted in that video because he has been a friend to commercial farmers, many of them white. >> yeah, yeah. i mean, and that's just the numbers there. i mean, none of that. i thought even having ernie els there, the points that he made, you know, look at the people in the room, you know, you also heard him make a joke there. and alex's piece about the jet that trump has ac