‘It’s terrible what they doing, it’s got to be stopped’: Trump on ‘white genocide’ in South Africa [VIDEO]

Following his free-wheeling speech to world leaders at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, US President Donald Trump made a series of contested claims, including white genocide in South Africa.

Trump on Wednesday touched on his desire to obtain Greenland from Denmark, which he referred to as a “small ask”, America’s contribution to Nato, and wind energy in China.

Embarrassing world leaders

At one point in his meandering speech, Trump stopped to poke fun at French President Emmanuel Macron, mocking the aviator sunglasses he wore to Davos.

“I watched him yesterday with those beautiful sunglasses. What the hell happened?” Trump asked.

Macron’s office said the choice to wear sunglasses during his speech, which took place indoors, was to protect his eyes because of a burst blood vessel.

Trump even insulted Europe’s biggest economy, saying everyone in the hall “would be speaking German” if it weren’t for the US”.

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White genocide

South Africa was also not spared from Trump’s claims.

Speaking on the sidelines of the WEF, Trump was adamant that a genocide against white farmers was taking place in South Africa.

“It’s terrible. It’s a terrible situation what they’re doing to people, a certain group of people, it’s unbelievable. You wouldn’t think it could happen today.”

Tenacity

Asked about what would change his perception that no white genocide is taking place in South Africa, the US president stuck to claims of “numbers” that he had seen.

“We have seen the numbers, we’ve seen the records. It is taking place, and it’s got to be stopped.”

eNCA's @HeidiGiokos asks US President Donald Trump what would make him believe that there is no white genocide in South Africa. #WEF2026 pic.twitter.com/tpJ1tN9xWb

— eNCA (@eNCA) January 21, 2026

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Debunked

In May 2025, The Citizen reported that Trump brandished a stack of printed articles, which he handed to Cyril Ramaphosa, claiming they documented a genocide against white people in South Africa, though some of the images were actually from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Footage shown during the meeting was also falsely portrayed as depicting “burial sites”.

“These are all white farmers that are being buried,” said Trump, holding up a printout of an article accompanied by a picture during the meeting with Ramaphosa.

The picture accompanying the article was, in fact, a screengrab of a video published by Reuters on 3 February and subsequently verified by the news agency’s fact-checking team showing humanitarian workers lifting body bags in the Congolese city of Goma.

The image was pulled from Reuters footage shot after deadly battles with Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.

Singling out SA

Trump has singled out South Africa for harsh treatment on several issues since he returned to the White House a year ago, notably making debunked claims of white Afrikaners being systematically “killed and slaughtered” in the country.

He ambushed Ramaphosa in the Oval Office earlier last year, playing a video in which he alleged a campaign against white farmers by the post-apartheid government.

In May, Trump offered Afrikaners refugee status. The first group of around 50 was flown to the US on a chartered plane.

In October, South Africa criticised the decision by the US to prioritise refugee applications from white Afrikaners, saying claims of a white genocide had been widely discredited and lacked reliable evidence.

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