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'I was bemused': Ramaphosa reacts to Trump's 'dim the lights' at White House

'I was bemused': Ramaphosa reacts to Trump's 'dim the lights' at White House

TimesLIVE28-05-2025
President Cyril Ramaphosa says he was surprised when US President Donald Trump pulled the 'dim the lights' move during their meeting in the White House last week.
During the meeting, Trump asked for the lights to be turned down and presented videos to prove his narrative of white genocide in South Africa.
Addressing the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium in Cape Town on Tuesday, Ramaphosa jokingly said when the lights went out, it reminded him of a similar incident at the White House.
'When I came in, I saw the room going a bit dark and for a moment I wondered, what is this? It's happening to me again,' he laughed.
'Because at that moment we were seated nicely and I was beginning to get into the groove of interacting with this man. Then I suddenly heard him say, 'dim the lights'. I must say a number of people have said this was an ambush and I was bemused. I was like, what's happening?'
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