Trump Welcomes South African President To White House Amid Controversy Over Afrikaner Refugees

President Donald Trump welcomed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to the White House on Wednesday, amid controversy over the Trump administration’s acceptance of white South African refugees.

“Hello, nice to see you,” Trump said before turning to take a picture with Ramaphosa upon welcoming him outside the Oval Office.

The Afrikaner farmers came to the United States, alleging they are the victims of a genocide in their country. The Trump administration accepted 49 farmers — who arrived in the United States on a U.S.-chartered flight earlier this month — through an expedited program. Democrats have denied that Afrikaners are being persecuted for their race, and have criticized the Trump administration for resettling the refugees in the United States.

NEW: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was just greeted by President Trump at the White House. The two leaders will have lunch and an Oval Office meeting. pic.twitter.com/9yKRkKnbkn

— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) May 21, 2025

Trump pushed back on those criticisms last week, saying the refugees “happen to be white, but whether they’re white or black makes no difference to me.”

“White farmers are being brutally killed and their land is being confiscated in South Africa, and the newspapers and the television media doesn’t even talk about it,” the president added.

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Trump and Ramaphosa will have a bilateral lunch followed by an Oval Office meeting, where Elon Musk is expected to be present, Axios reported. Musk, a South African native, has been a vocal critic of its current government.

Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, are also expected to attend the meeting.

Tensions between the two countries have increased following the passage of South Africa’s Expropriation Act, which allows the South African government to confiscate land without compensation.

Trump issued an executive order in February saying the act ignored citizens’ rights and enabled the government to “seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation.” The executive order cut aid or assistance to South Africa and declared that the United States will promote resettling Afrikaner refugees.

The Trump administration also banned Ebrahim Rasool, South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States, after he claimed Trump was “mobilizing” white supremacy around the world.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Rasool of being a “race-baiting politician who hates America and @POTUS.”

“We have nothing to discuss with him and so he is considered PERSONA NON GRATA,” Rubio posted.

In March, Musk shared a video of Julius Malema, a member of South Africa’s National Assembly, singing “Kill the Boer” at a political rally, a reference to Afrikaners.

“Very few people know that there is a major political party in South Africa that is actively promoting white genocide,” Musk posted. “A whole arena chanting about killing white people.”

Musk added that his company, Starlink, is unable to get a license to operate in South Africa because Musk is not black.

Rubio also denounced the “Kill the Boer” song, claiming it “incites violence.”

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“South Africa’s leaders and politicians must take action to protect Afrikaner and other disfavored minorities,” he posted in March. “The United States is proud to offer those individuals who qualify for admission to our nation amid this continued horrible threat of violence.”

Rubio doubled down on the Trump administration’s belief that Afrikaners are being persecuted during a Senate hearing on Wednesday.

“These are people whose farms were burned down and they were killed because of the color of their skin,” Rubio said in a heated exchange with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA).

Rubio added that the farmers qualify for refugee status because they “live in a country where farms are taken and land is taken on a racial basis.”