Is the ‘white massacre’ real in South Africa? Unpacking Donald Trump’s Oval Office

A meeting between US President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramposa at the White House ruled a hot and controversial debate: Is there a “white massacre” in South Africa?Trump is supported by Elon Musk, born in South Africa and now serves as a senior advisor in Trump administration. The US President claimed during the Oval Office meeting on Wednesday that white South African farmers were being “slaughtered” and forced their land, which they called an ongoing massacre.“Now it’s very bad,” Trump said, pointing to a video shown in the White House. “These are the burial sites here … more than a thousand … white farmers.” He described a scene with a white cross on both sides of a road, claiming that he marked the graves of the white peasants who were murdered, “I never saw anything like that.”Ramposa pushes back: ‘We need to find out’Ramfosa surprised the footage and asked, “Have he told you that Mr. President? I would like to know where it is. Because I have never seen it.”Trump replied: “I mean, it is in South Africa, this is that place.” Ramposa replied, “We need to find out this.”Ramfosa also rejected the claims of the massacre, stating that: “There is criminality in our country. People who are killed, unfortunately, are not only white people through criminal activity, most of them are black.”South African President’s spokesman Vincent Magwenya also dismissed Trump’s claims, stating ABC News, “There is no evidence of the claim being made here. There is no evidence of the very sophisticated intelligence in America … They will tell you that what is being publicized here is completely wrong.”Court verdict: ‘not real’ and ‘clearly imagined’In February 2025, the South African court ruled that the perception of white genocide was “not real” and “clearly conceived.” The decision was made in a case consisting of a rich donor who wanted to give $ 2.1 million to a white domination group, Booragione. The donation was blocked.According to ABC News reports, the attack on farmers in South Africa is a real concern, and the country has a high murder rate of 45 per 100,000 people per 100,000 people. However, officials say there is no evidence that these crimes are racially motivated, as police records do not track the victim’s race or give a list of “form killings” as a separate category.Trump doubles with executive orderDespite pushbacks from South Africa, the Trump administration stands from its claims. The White House, citing articles from media outlets such as Fox News, Breightbart and BBC, is correct about what is happening in South Africa. However, many examples referred to individual events of violence, not the massacre.As part of an executive order signed in February, “addressing the egoistic works of the Republic of South Africa”, under the title, Trump suspended American aid and directed the rapid rehabilitation of the Dutch dynasty to rehabilitation for the white South African people, African refugees. Last week, 50 Africans arrived in the US under the new policy. US State Secretary Marco Rubio said “more are coming.”Trump told Ramfosa, “We have many people … usually they are white farmers and they are running away from South Africa.”Critics say Trump Cherry-Picking is a refugeeThe decision to prioritize white South African refugees has promoted backlash, especially Trump continues to restrict immigration from countries such as Afghanistan, Haiti and Venezuela.According to Fox News report, a reporter was asked when a reporter was asked what he wanted to do about the situation shown on the screen to Ramposa, Trump replied, “I don’t know. I don’t know.” Ramfosa said, “I am not going to repeat what I am saying.” “If there was an African farmer massacre, I can bet you that these three gentlemen will not be here, including my Agriculture Minister.”Kasturi supports Trump’s storyElon Musk has previously expressed the same concern as Trump. Musk claimed that white South African is leaving due to “violence and racist laws”.While some African communities in South Africa express apprehension over the expansion and crime of land, South African officials said that these issues affect all citizens, and there is no evidence to support the claim of racially targeted massacre.