In a dramatic and unapologetically confrontational Oval Office moment, former President Donald Trump turned a routine diplomatic meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa into a pointed—and deeply controversial—display of political theater.
According to Republican strategist Scott Jennings, Trump had the lights dimmed and played a video of South African political leader Julius Malema singing “Kill the Boer” to a packed crowd, forcing Ramaphosa and his delegation to confront what Trump described as the brutal persecution of white farmers in South Africa.
Jennings, appearing on CNN’s The Arena, called Trump’s move “a boss move,” praising the former president for calling attention to what many conservatives believe is a long-ignored human rights issue: the killing of white South African farmers, often referred to as “Boers.” These incidents, while documented, have long been politically sensitive and hotly debated in terms of scope, motive, and international significance.
“Whether you call it a genocide or not, the facts are white farmers in South Africa have been murdered,” Jennings said. He then accused American media outlets and the South African government of deliberately downplaying or concealing the truth. According to Jennings, even South Africa’s agriculture minister, present in the room, confirmed the reality of these killings.
Video version:
Who wrote the script and sent out the talking points??? https://t.co/6BwbhqS3zA
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 22, 2025
The former president’s move wasn’t just performative—it was strategic. It followed the Trump administration’s decision to begin resettling a small group of Afrikaner farmers fleeing violence, a humanitarian gesture that provoked intense backlash. The Episcopal Church, which had long partnered with the U.S. in migrant resettlement efforts, publicly severed ties with the federal government over what it deemed a politicized and discriminatory policy favoring white South African migrants.
Jennings leaned into the controversy: “If it’s not a genocide today, how many do we want to let get murdered so that people around here can be satisfied?” His comment laid bare the deeper divide: while millions of migrants have crossed into the U.S. over recent years, the admission of 50 South African farmers sparked outrage—largely because of the racial and political implications.
Trump, for his part, framed the gesture as a preemptive strike against an emerging crisis. “The president is trying to prevent genocide from happening any further to these people,” Jennings emphasized. “This was an interesting spectacle in the Oval Office today, but it had to happen.”
Notably, CNN cut away from the bilateral meeting just as Trump played the video, a decision that itself became part of the political discourse. Critics of the network accused it of censorship, while supporters argued the broadcast of such a provocative clip was inappropriate for a diplomatic setting.
