US President Donald Trump has again ignited controversy by repeating claims of a so-called “white genocide” against Afrikaners in South Africa, insisting the alleged persecution in a democratic state must be halted.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday after his special address at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Trump intensified his rhetoric.
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“What’s happening in South Africa is terrible. It’s a terrible situation. What they’re doing to people, a certain group of people, is unbelievable. You wouldn’t think it could happen today,”
“Well, we have seen the numbers, we’ve seen the records, and it is taking place and it’s gotta be stopped.”
US–South Africa Relations Hit New Low Over Land and Race Dispute
Relations between Washington and Pretoria have deteriorated sharply amid US claims that South Africa is enforcing race-based legislation and expropriating land from white Afrikaners. Trump has repeatedly argued that “bad things were happening in South Africa”, linking his concerns to the country’s land reform programme.
A recent United States Human Rights Report alleged that white farmers were being deliberately targeted in racially motivated attacks. South Africa’s government rejected the findings, describing them as “distorted and inaccurate”.
In February, Trump signed an executive order creating a programme aimed at “Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination”, referring to an ethnic community largely descended from Dutch settlers.
Trump’s Sanctions Threats
The diplomatic standoff has widened beyond rhetoric. Late last year, the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs approved a bill calling for a reassessment of bilateral relations and proposing sanctions against specific South African officials.
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Tensions escalated further when Trump declined to attend the G20 Summit hosted by South Africa in Johannesburg in November. He later opted not to invite South Africa to the next G20 gathering in Miami, Florida, scheduled for later this year. At the time of publication, South Africa’s Department of International Relations and the Presidency had not responded to Trump’s latest remarks.
Trump Touts US Economic ‘Turnaround’ at Davos Amid Protests
Alongside his comments on South Africa, Trump used his WEF platform to celebrate what he described as the “fastest and most dramatic economic turnaround” in US history, marking one year since his return to the White House.
Branding the United States as the “economic engine of the planet”, Trump told delegates that global growth follows American prosperity. He defended his approach on tariffs, deregulation and tax cuts, arguing that international institutions had underestimated their impact.
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Energy policy dominated much of his speech. Trump repeatedly attacked renewable energy strategies, labelling them the “Green New Scam”, and accused European governments of driving up electricity prices and curbing output.
“Instead of closing down energy plants, we’re opening them up,” he said, adding that his administration had expanded oil, gas and nuclear production.
Trump claimed US natural gas production had reached record levels, while oil output had increased by 730,000 barrels a day, contributing to lower fuel prices. He also pointed to sweeping deregulation, saying 129 regulations had been scrapped for every new one approved, and that the federal workforce had been reduced by more than 270,000 employees in a year.
According to Trump, federal spending had fallen by $100 billion and the budget deficit by 27%. On trade, he argued that tariffs had cut the trade deficit and revived domestic manufacturing, including steel production and factory construction.
While insisting he wanted Europe to succeed, Trump criticised its economic direction, saying many countries were “not even recognisable anymore”.
Outside the WEF venue, around 200 Kurdish activists protested Trump’s appearance, accusing him of supporting genocide and calling for the freedom of Kurdistan.
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