Latest news with #WhiteFarmers
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump talks with Putin, spars with South African leader, threatens EU tariff hike in 18th week in office
President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine, hosted the president of South Africa at the White House and threatened more stringent tariffs against the European Union this week. During South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's Oval Office visit on Wednesday, Trump got into a testy exchange with the South African leader about the treatment of White farmers there. Specifically, Trump aired a video that showed white crosses that Trump said were approximately 1,000 burial sites of White Afrikaner South African farmers. Trump has repeatedly asserted these farmers are being killed and pushed off of their land. Trump To Meet Leader Of 'Out Of Control' South Africa At White House Trump told Ramaphosa at the White House that the burial sites by the side of the road are visited by those who want to "pay respects to their family member who was killed." "Now this is very bad. 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 is approximately a thousand of them," Trump said. "They're all White farmers. The family of White farmers. And those cars aren't driving, they are stopped there to pay respects to their family member who was killed. And it's a terrible sight. I've never seen anything like it. On both sides of the road, you have crosses. Those people are all killed." Read On The Fox News App "Have they told you where that is, Mr. President?" Ramaphosa said. "I'd like to know where that is. Because this I've never seen." "I mean, it's in South Africa, that's where," Trump said. "We need to find out," Ramaphosa said. The White House defended showing the clip and said that the video was "substantiated," following reports that emerged after the encounter that said the crosses were from a memorial demonstration following the murder of a White farming couple, not actual burial sites. Here's what also happened this week: Trump and Putin spoke over the phone on Monday to advance peace negotiations ending the war between Moscow and Kyiv. The call occurred just days after Russia and Ukraine met in Turkey to conduct their first peace talks since 2022. After the call, Trump said both countries would move toward a ceasefire and push discussions to end the war. But, Trump indicated that the U.S. would let Moscow and Kyiv take the lead on negotiations after his call with Putin. "The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know the details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of," Trump said in a Monday post on Truth Social. Trump Says He Could 'Walk Away' From Russia-ukraine Talks, Cites 'Tremendous Hatred' On Both Sides Additionally, Trump has continued to distance the U.S. from the conflict this week, describing the conflict as a "European situation." "Big egos involved, but I think something's going to happen," Trump told reporters on Monday. "And if it doesn't, I'll just back away and they'll have to keep going. This was a European situation. It should have remained a European situation." Trump expressed similar sentiments on Wednesday when Ramaphosa visited and stated: "It's not our people, it's not our soldiers… it's Ukraine and it's Russia." The White House condemned the fatal attack against two Israeli Embassy employees in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, labeling that incident an act of antisemitism. A gunman opened fire and killed Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim as they were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum. The two were planning to get engaged next week in Jerusalem, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a press briefing. Authorities arrested a pro-Palestinian man identified as 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago in connection with the attack, according to officials. In response, Trump and other leaders of his administration said attacks like these must stop and said that those responsible will face justice. White House Decries 'Evils Of Antisemitism,' Vows Justice After Fatal Shooting Of Israeli Embassy Staffers "These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!" Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. "Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA. Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!" Leavitt later told reporters she'd spoken with Attorney General Pam Bondi and that those who conducted the attack would face prosecution. "The evil of antisemitism must be eradicated from our society," Leavitt told reporters on Thursday. "I spoke to the attorney general this morning. The Department of Justice will be prosecuting the perpetrator responsible for this to the fullest extent of the law. Hatred has no place in the United States of America under President Donald Trump." Trump threatened to slap a 50% tariff on imports from the European Union on Friday amid ongoing trade negotiations and after locking down a trade deal with the U.K. The deal with the U.K. is the first historic trade negotiation signed following Liberation Day, when Trump announced widespread tariffs for multiple countries on April 2 at a range of rates. The administration later adjusted its initial proposal and announced on April 9 it would immediately impose a 145% tariff on Chinese goods, while reducing reciprocal tariffs on other countries and the EU to a baseline of 10% for 90 days. Trump Signals China 'Very Much' Interested In Securing Trade Deal Ahead Of Switzerland Negotiations "Their powerful Trade Barriers, Vat Taxes, ridiculous Corporate Penalties, Non-Monetary Trade Barriers, Monetary Manipulations, unfair and unjustified lawsuits against Americans Companies, and more, have led to a Trade Deficit with the U.S. of more than $250,000,000 a year, a number which is totally unacceptable," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Friday about the EU. "Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025," he said. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent later said in an interview with Fox News he hoped the warning would "light a fire under the EU" and signaled Trump's threats stemmed from frustration negotiating with European countries on trade deals. "EU proposals have not been of the same quality that we've seen from our other important trading partners," Bessent said. Fox News Digital's Greg Norman contributed to this report. Original article source: Trump talks with Putin, spars with South African leader, threatens EU tariff hike in 18th week in office
Fox News
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump talks with Putin, spars with South African leader, threatens EU tariff hike in 18th week in office
President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine, hosted the president of South Africa at the White House and threatened more stringent tariffs against the European Union this week. During South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's Oval Office visit on Wednesday, Trump got into a testy exchange with the South African leader about the treatment of White farmers there. Specifically, Trump aired a video that showed white crosses that Trump said were approximately 1,000 burial sites of White Afrikaner South African farmers. Trump has repeatedly asserted these farmers are being killed and pushed off of their land. Trump told Ramaphosa at the White House that the burial sites by the side of the road are visited by those who want to "pay respects to their family member who was killed." "Now this is very bad. 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 is approximately a thousand of them," Trump said. "They're all White farmers. The family of White farmers. And those cars aren't driving, they are stopped there to pay respects to their family member who was killed. And it's a terrible sight. I've never seen anything like it. On both sides of the road, you have crosses. Those people are all killed." "Have they told you where that is, Mr. President?" Ramaphosa said. "I'd like to know where that is. Because this I've never seen." "I mean, it's in South Africa, that's where," Trump said. "We need to find out," Ramaphosa said. The White House defended showing the clip and said that the video was "substantiated," following reports that emerged after the encounter that said the crosses were from a memorial demonstration following the murder of a White farming couple, not actual burial sites. Here's what also happened this week: Trump and Putin spoke over the phone on Monday to advance peace negotiations ending the war between Moscow and Kyiv. The call occurred just days after Russia and Ukraine met in Turkey to conduct their first peace talks since 2022. After the call, Trump said both countries would move toward a ceasefire and push discussions to end the war. But, Trump indicated that the U.S. would let Moscow and Kyiv take the lead on negotiations after his call with Putin. "The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know the details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of," Trump said in a Monday post on Truth Social. Additionally, Trump has continued to distance the U.S. from the conflict this week, describing the conflict as a "European situation." "Big egos involved, but I think something's going to happen," Trump told reporters on Monday. "And if it doesn't, I'll just back away and they'll have to keep going. This was a European situation. It should have remained a European situation." Trump expressed similar sentiments on Wednesday when Ramaphosa visited and stated: "It's not our people, it's not our soldiers… it's Ukraine and it's Russia." The White House condemned the fatal attack against two Israeli Embassy employees in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, labeling that incident an act of antisemitism. A gunman opened fire and killed Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim as they were leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum. The two were planning to get engaged next week in Jerusalem, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a press briefing. Authorities arrested a pro-Palestinian man identified as 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago in connection with the attack, according to officials. In response, Trump and other leaders of his administration said attacks like these must stop and said that those responsible will face justice. "These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!" Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. "Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA. Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!" Leavitt later told reporters she'd spoken with Attorney General Pam Bondi and that those who conducted the attack would face prosecution. "The evil of antisemitism must be eradicated from our society," Leavitt told reporters on Thursday. "I spoke to the attorney general this morning. The Department of Justice will be prosecuting the perpetrator responsible for this to the fullest extent of the law. Hatred has no place in the United States of America under President Donald Trump." Trump threatened to slap a 50% tariff on imports from the European Union on Friday amid ongoing trade negotiations and after locking down a trade deal with the U.K. The deal with the U.K. is the first historic trade negotiation signed following Liberation Day, when Trump announced widespread tariffs for multiple countries on April 2 at a range of rates. The administration later adjusted its initial proposal and announced on April 9 it would immediately impose a 145% tariff on Chinese goods, while reducing reciprocal tariffs on other countries and the EU to a baseline of 10% for 90 days. "Their powerful Trade Barriers, Vat Taxes, ridiculous Corporate Penalties, Non-Monetary Trade Barriers, Monetary Manipulations, unfair and unjustified lawsuits against Americans Companies, and more, have led to a Trade Deficit with the U.S. of more than $250,000,000 a year, a number which is totally unacceptable," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Friday about the EU. "Therefore, I am recommending a straight 50% Tariff on the European Union, starting on June 1, 2025," he said. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent later said in an interview with Fox News he hoped the warning would "light a fire under the EU" and signaled Trump's threats stemmed from frustration negotiating with European countries on trade deals. "EU proposals have not been of the same quality that we've seen from our other important trading partners," Bessent said.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump worries more about South Africa's nonexistent genocide than real US racism
Funny how the Trump Administration can spot racism nearly 8,000 miles away, but not the bigotry right under its nose. It's outraged by genocide that doesn't exist in South Africa but ignores the descendants of people brought to America on slave ships, forced into free labor, and subjected to innumerable rapes, countless lynchings, and brutalization for more than two centuries. You've probably seen video of President Donald Trump welcoming South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to the White House May 21. The meeting quickly turned from courteous to contentious after Trump accused the South African government of seizing land from White landowners. Trump then played two video clips full of false claims about the genocide of farmers and handed out copies of news stories purporting to expose the truth. "I don't know, all of these are articles over the last few days, death of people, death, death, death, horrible death," Trump said. "White South Africans are fleeing because of the violence and the racist laws." Despite Ramaphosa countering those false claims with facts, Trump insisted that when a White farmer is killed, little is done in response. The South African leader acknowledged that while criminal activity does occur in his country, most victims are Black. Additional fact checking has shown that images Trump presented of dead farmers are from Congo, not South Africa. Opinion: My kids shouldn't have to navigate race in sports. Let them play and be free. I've long felt the Trump Administration harbored a troubling undercurrent of racism. What's surfaced over the first months of his second term is outright intolerance. It isn't just the Ramaphosa ambush or the welcoming of South Africans to be resettled in this country using the same false claims of persecution. Look at Trump's attack on DEI and his executive orders which have struck hard at the heart of African American communities, delivering a blow so severe that it cannot be ignored. Or his desire to resurrect Confederate statues and memorials. Whenever a person of color speaks out about racism, many insist it's not the case. However, as a Black man who grew up in this country and has been shaped by its realities, I've developed an internal radar. You feel it in your bones, and no one should be able to dictate how you feel. You know how you feel when you experience it. What many felt and feared all along surfaced this week for all to see. I interviewed two Milwaukee historians who offered some context and a challenge about what's next. In July, I wrote about being genuinely frightened by the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 and what it could mean for the poor and marginalized. Trump disavowed Project 2025 when it became a political liability during the campaign. After he was elected, he hired the plan's architects and they've been enacting the agenda with chilling efficiency. The fabric of the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division has been unraveled. Slavery was abolished in this county in 1865, but officially sanctioned racial discrimination persisted through Jim Crow laws until U.S. Supreme Court rulings in the 1950s followed by civil rights and voting rights legislation in the 1960s began to remove the grip of oppression. The dismantling of this division will leave a gaping void in the efforts to combat discrimination. For practical purposes it means: No enforcement of fair housing laws, no protections for voting rights, no accountability for hate crimes, and no investigations into police misconduct. This erosion of civil rights protections has created an environment of fear and uncertainty, signaling a dark chapter in the struggle for equality and justice. The administration is not just rolling back basic protections, it's also trying to knock people down the economic ladder. In March, Trump issued an executive order that led to the layoffs of almost all employees at the Minority Business Development Agency. Last year, the agency supported over 35,000 entrepreneurs. The Wisconsin MBDA business center closed in April. The agency has been a crucial resource for America's 12 million minority-owned businesses, facilitating access to over $1.5 billion in capital in 2024. Its closure means the loss of a vital government agency and a key opportunity for many entrepreneurs from marginalized communities. Trump targeted the National Museum of African American History and Culture, a place on the National Mall dedicated to telling a story that started in 1619 when the first enslaved Africans arrived in the English colony of Virginia. "Museums in our nation's capital should be places where individuals go to learn, not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history," Trump said in the executive order about parks and museums. He argues that the museum does not align with the Founding Fathers' declaration that 'all men are created equal.' However, this view blindly overlooks that these same Founding Fathers enshrined slavery in the Constitution and defined enslaved people as three-fifths of a person. Trump's executive orders also include plans to replace the statues and monuments of Confederate figures from the Civil War that were dismantled or destroyed amid Black Lives Matter protests following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020. And don't get me started on Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," which will be devastating. According to early estimates by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, Medicaid cuts in the bill that cleared the House May 22 will cause 7.6 million Americans to lose their health insurance over the next 10 years. That's just for starters. Where is Trump focusing his energies? On May 12 a group of 59 people from South Africa, many descendants of Dutch colonists known as Afrikaners, began arriving in the U.S. as refugees under the guise of facing violence and discrimination that would be akin to 'White genocide.' Those claims are bogus. The administration is offering reparations to group, who will be offered resettlement support, a pathway to citizenship, furnished housing, and will also be eligible for government benefits. Trump terminated U.S. aid to South Africa, citing 'egregious' allegations of genocide against Israel and claims of 'fueling disproportionate violence against racially disfavored landowners.' Imagine if Trump expressed the same level of concern for Black lives, including those affected by enslavement, the destruction of Black Wall Street, lynchings during the Jim Crow era, and the numerous instances of violence against Black individuals due to racism. Rob Smith, a history professor and director of the center for urban research at Marquette University, said given the negative impact of the executive orders and budget cuts of Trump administration on Black and brown families in America, the contrast is startling. 'We know what's happening here,' Smith said. 'It's interesting that Trump seems more concerned about the plight of White farmers in South Africa.' Historian Reggie Jackson said he isn't surprised by Trump's actions, only the response here in America. "What intensifies the situation is the unsettling silence of White people who aren't stepping up to confront this injustice," Jackson said. Racism is not a hidden toxin; it is glaringly evident and can be proven with clarity and conviction. The real challenge, however, lies in our widespread reluctance to engage in open dialogue about it in this nation. Confronting this uncomfortable truth would require us to address the deep-rooted issues head-on. Perhaps this is why it's much easier for Trump to denounce racism when he perceives it occurring 8,000 miles away against White farmers, rather than acknowledging its presence right under his nose. Reach James E. Causey at jcausey@ follow him on Twitter @jecausey. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Trump's South Africa meeting showed his true priority | Opinion
CBS News
23-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
How Trump misrepresented images to support claims of "White genocide" in South Africa, including Congo video
In his Oval Office meeting Wednesday with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, President Trump made allegations of persecution of White farmers in South Africa, which he used to justify granting refugee status to a group of Afrikaners earlier this month. Ramaphosa has denied there is a genocide, and some Afrikaners say Mr. Trump is being lied to about a "White genocide" in the country. In the last three months of 2024, 12 people were murdered on farms in South Africa, according to South African police. One was a White farmer, while the others were Black laborers or security workers, police said. Some estimates say in recent years there have been about 50 farm murders a year, but those do not specify race. The country had nearly 27,000 total murders last year, according to police data. Mr. Trump played videos and held up articles during the White House meeting this week to support his unsubstantiated claims. But much of what he showed was being misrepresented. Here are three examples: Reuters footage of bodies in the Democratic Republic of Congo Mr. Trump held up a printed article from "American Thinker," a conservative online magazine, that included a screenshot, credited to Reuters, that the president said showed "all White farmers that are being buried." President Trump holds up a printed article from "American Thinker" while accusing South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa of state-sanctioned violence against White farmers in South Africa during a press availability in the Oval Office at the White House on May 21, the video the screenshot was taken from was of humanitarian workers lifting body bags in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Reuters said. The footage was taken in February after deadly battles with a Rwanda-backed Congolese rebel group in the city of Goma. The "American Thinker" article was about both the Congo and South Africa, but the image does not show South Africa. Andrea Widburg, managing editor at "American Thinker" and the author of the post, told Reuters that Mr. Trump had "misidentified the image." Line of white crosses Mr. Trump claimed images of white crosses seen in the video played during his meeting with Ramaphosa showed burial sites of White farmers. However, the crosses were symbolic, part of a protest in 2020 after the killing of a White farming couple, according to local media coverage. A participant said they represented all farm murders, not solely White farmers, over the years. The demonstration, held near Normandien, South Africa, was calling on the government to take more action against farm killings. Ramaphosa acknowledged a problem of crime in his country. "There is criminality in our country," he said to Mr. Trump. "People who do get killed unfortunately through criminal activity, are not only White people. Majority of them are Black people." Rally footage of fringe politician The video Mr. Trump presented included clips of Julius Malema, the leader of a far-left South African political party, the Economic Freedom Fighters. He is heard singing an anti-apartheid song that includes the lyric, "kill the Boer," referring to White farmers, in multiple clips from recent years. Malema was kicked out of Ramaphosa's governing party, African National Congress, 13 years ago, and Ramaphosa said the EFF is a "small minority party" that does not represent the government. The ANC also distanced itself from the song more than a decade ago. In a statement to Reuters after the meeting between Mr. Trump and Ramaphosa, the EFF said the song "expresses the desire to destroy the system of white minority control over the resources of South Africa." Three South African courts have ruled against attempts to have it designated as hate speech, saying it is a historical liberation chant, not a literal incitement to violence, Reuters reported. Nicole Brown Chau Nicole Brown Chau is a deputy managing editor for She writes and edits national news, health stories, explainers and more. , and contributed to this report.
Bloomberg
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
South African Police Minister Debunks Trump's Genocide Claim
South Africa's police minister rejected the false conspiracy theory spread by US President Donald Trump that White farmers are being subjected to a genocide, saying it is 'totally unsubstantiated.' 'We have respect for the US as a country' and for Trump, Senzo Mchunu said at the release of quarterly crime statistics in Pretoria, the capital, on Friday. 'We have no respect for his genocide story. It is totally unfounded.'
