White House hosts South African President for meeting with Trump and Musk amid rising tensions

President Donald Trump will meet this Wednesday with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the White House, in a media-documented meeting amidst tensions between the two nations. Attending the meeting is South African-born billionaire Elon Musk, who has been one of the celebrities who have been publicly supporting Trump's claim that White Afrikaners in South Africa are being subjected to genocide—a very disputed claim that South Africa strongly denounces.

The United States also recently welcomed 59 White Afrikaners as refugees, fueling the controversy. Trump insists that South Africa is “out of control” and blamed it for racial attacks on White farmers, but South African authorities refute these and have denounced those who emigrated as “cowards.” The summit is meant to restart diplomatic relations, but more profound questions regarding race, refugee policy, and worldwide views are hot and truly contentious.

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President Trump meets Ramaphosa at the White House

President Trump is welcoming South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to the White House on Wednesday, with South African-born billionaire Elon Musk in attendance, for a crucial meeting during heightened tensions between the United States and South Africa.

A White House official confirmed that Musk will be joining the two leaders at the meeting. Trump has echoed Musk's assertion that genocide is being committed against White Afrikaners.

Recently, 59 White Afrikaners were welcomed to the United States as refugees and granted asylum. Trump has continued to insist that South Africa's White farmers are the victims of “genocide”–which South Africa vehemently denies–and insists that the situation in South Africa is “out of control.”

The South African government does not at all admit any charges of racial discrimination against White Afrikaners. South African President Ramaphosa has condemned individuals who migrated to the“U.S. as "cowards.” The White House meeting, scheduled at 11:30 a.m. ET, according to his office, will provide an opportunity to “reset the strategic relationship between the two countries.” Trump has imposed new tariffs on South Africa, continuing his pattern of imposing tariffs around the world.

Afrikaners are White South Africans of Dutch ancestry and have resided in the country for over 400 years. They speak Afrikaans, a language of Dutch origin and one of the country's 12 official languages, in addition to English.

The expedited refugee admissions for Afrikaners come as the Trump administration works to suspend the refugee admission program altogether, a move facing several legal challenges.

Senator Tim Kaine questioned Marco Rubio for Afrikaners asylum

At a dramatic Capitol Hill budget hearing, Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine grilled Secretary of State Marco Rubio and asked whether Afrikaners are persecuted more than other groups, including the Uyghurs, Rohingyas, or Cuban, Venezuelan, Nicaraguan political dissidents. Or those who are threatened by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Kaine hinted Trump's administration is favoring Afrikaners because of their color and asked why Rubio would prioritize them over the U.S. Rubio replied that Afrikaners represent a “small subset” and the president isolated their case as a specific problem to highlight. He distinguished it from general refugee programs, which he described as costly and attracting migrants.

Kaine requested Rubio to examine the political makeup of South Africa. He declared that there has been a national unity government since July 2024 that includes the ANC (African National Congress) and the Democracy Alliance, an Afrikaner representative party.

The previous Afrikaner party leader Jan Steenhuisen is currently the Agriculture Minister of South Africa, putting Afrikaners in the government. Kaine alleged that complaints of persecution of Afrikaner far“ers are "completely specious.”