Body language reveals Trump's strategic approach to SA President

Daily Mail​

22-05-2025

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had hoped that his first meeting with Donald Trump would be a chance to reset relations after months of attacks on his government by MAGA allies. The US President and Pretoria-born 'first buddy' Elon Musk have repeatedly accused Ramaphosa of being complicit in 'white genocide' in his country - an unfounded claim the South African delegation sought to debunk during the visit.
Trump had previously cancelled aid to the country, expelled its ambassador and offered refuge to white minority Afrikaners, but officials had been hopeful that an invitation to Washington could mark a turning point. However what began as an unassuming greeting 'with the usual pleasantries' soon turned into a public takedown - with analysts drawing comparisons to Trump's explosive meeting with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. As the meeting got underway, Ramaphosa's 'rictus smile' indicated that he expected some 'good-humoured diplomacy' and was unaware of the ambush that Trump had prepared, a body language expert has claimed.
'The White House was as rigged with traps as Kevin's house in Home Alone,' Judi James told MailOnline as she described how Trump has honed his skills when it comes to publicly dressing-down world leaders. 'Trump's body language showed he is a master craftsman now when it comes to keeping secrets,' she went on. 'There were none of the signals of anticipatory glee we see from Vance when he's about to throw killer questions out to world leaders like he did with Zelensky and Starmer.'
By contrast, she said, 'Trump played what was almost the perfect poker face, discussing golf and performing a crinkled eye smile' during Ramaphosa's efforts to flatter him. She added that 'Trump's intro to the South African leader was perhaps the only clue to what was to come. 'When he described Ramaphosa as being 'considered controversial' in some circles he triggered an outbreak of wary-looking rituals of building unease or anxiety from Ramaphosa,' she said. At one point Trump asked aides to dim the lights in the Oval Office before playing a montage of clips which he purported to show evidence of 'white genocide' in South Africa.
This was Trump's 'Goldfinger moment', James said, and left Ramaphosa 'squirming'. 'Ramaphosa looked from side to side and tried to talk but Trump pulled his attention to the screen, silencing him. 'As the videos ended Ramaphosa was in the pose of a man who is about to run off at the first chance. He performed an incongruent laugh and squirmed in his chair and hiked his pants in a truncated gesture. His verbal response was to ask Trump 'where it is because I've never seen it.' Trump declined to add details but growled that it was South Africa.'
While body language experts have previously highlighted Trump's handshake as a device he uses to convey 'dominance', for example with France's Emmanuel Macron and Canadian PM Mark Carney, James said in this case his initial greeting to Ramaphosa 'was neutral in terms of superior power signals.' She said the two men 'adopted a mirrored, heads-tilted pose as they exchanged what looked like the usual pleasantries.' However throughout the meeting Trump pulled a series of power moves which left Ramaphosa 'nervous' and 'uncomfortable', James said. Disagreements between the pair on a range of subjects were also thinly-veiled, she added, with Trump seemingly playing to the press rather than paying attention to his South African counterpart at one point. 'While Trump spoke about 'Saving souls' Ramaphosa talked of peace and referenced learning from Mandella. 'Trump's head nodded in some form of mild agreement but his pursed lips gave a hint of grudging disagreement and at one point he placed his hand to the side of his mouth to mime an 'aside' to the press as Ramaphosa spoke.'
Many have applauded Ramaphosa for maintaining his composure as Trump threw out barb after barb. South Africa's Land Reform Minister Mzwanele Nyhontso applauded Ramaphosa for keeping his cool, rather than firing back at Trump. But while Ramaphosa tried to cast the meeting as a success, Nyhontso acknowledged that it had been 'uncomfortable to watch'. 'There is no genocide in South Africa... There is crime in South Africa like in other countries and this crime affects many people,' he told the BBC's Newshour programme. Analysts have also pointed out that he handled Trump's attacks in a similar way to how he deals with firebrand opposition politicians in South Africa 's parliament. Many have praised Ramaphosa's tactics after he brought South Africa's most senior white politician, agriculture minister John Steenhuisen, along to the meeting.
He referred some of Trump's questions about Afrikaans farmers to Steenhuisen, who in turn acknowledged South Africa had a 'real safety problem', adding that it required 'a lot of effort to get on top of it'. 'It is going to require more policing resources,' he said. Steenhuisen however dismissed the view that most white farmers were fleeing the country: 'Certainly, the majority of South Africa's commercial and smallholder farmers really do want to stay in South Africa and make it work.' The videos Trump showed to the South African delegation included speeches from EFF leader Julius Malema, whose trademark song at rallies is 'Shoot the Boer, Shoot the farmer.'
'Our government policy is completely against what [Malema] was saying, even in the parliament, and they're a small minority party, which is allowed to exist in terms of our constitution,' Ramaphosa said afterwards. 'But you do allow them to take land?' Trump then asked, to which Ramaphosa repeatedly insisted 'no'. Despite the obvious tensions, Ramaphosa said afterwards that the meeting had been 'a great success'. 'We've been able to achieve what we set out to achieve: to achieve re-engagement with the US, to put the issues of investment and trade on the table, and to ensure that we continue engaging through the various other formations,' Ramaphosa told reporters. Ramaphosa again pushed back against Trump's accusations and attempted to downplay his criticism, saying he believes 'there's doubt and disbelief in [Trump's] head' about the genocide claims.