Trump's attempt at Oval Office 'gotcha' moment backfired spectacularly - all because Ramaphosa kept his cool

[Eugene]

Source: The Independent

Trump’s attempt at Oval Office ‘gotcha’ moment backfired spectacularly - all because Ramaphosa kept his cool

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.

Wednesday 21 May 2025 20:06 BST

It looked for a moment as though the South African president had avoided a trap.

For weeks ahead of Cyril Ramaphosa’s White House visit, MAGA world had been promoting unsubstantiated claims about a hidden “white genocide” in the country. Donald Trump himself called it a “genocide,” as his administration officials greeted 59 white South Africans as “refugees” at the airport last Monday in D.C.

So, Ramaphosa came prepared. He brought with him two of the president’s favorite golfers and a giant book about golf. His introductory remarks were a tour de force of diplomacy, and the meeting was on track to avoid the doomed fate of Volodymyr Zelensky’s in February.

Then, a voice from the back of the room sparked chaos.

“What will it take for you to be convinced that there's no white genocide in South Africa?” a reporter with a South African accent shouted.

What followed was perhaps one of the most egregious demonstrations of whitesplaining in living memory.

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Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-south-african-president-meeting-ambush-b2755510.html

Alternate link: https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-channels-conspiracy-theory-loving-190628121.html