World Leader Slams Trump as ‘Truly Uninformed’ and ‘Detached From Reality’
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said he was stunned by what he described as Donald Trump’s deeply misinformed views about South Africa during a meeting between the two leaders last year.
In an interview with The New York Times published Thursday, Ramaphosa said he was surprised by Trump’s understanding of South Africa and the legacy of apartheid.
“I just thought that he is so uninformed, truly uninformed,” Ramaphosa said, describing Trump’s perspective as shaped by a “foggy lens” that ignored the devastating impact of apartheid on Black South Africans.
Ramaphosa, a longtime ally of Nelson Mandela and a veteran of the anti-apartheid movement, said Trump appeared dismissive of the country’s history and ongoing challenges.
The comments come amid Trump’s repeated promotion of the controversial claim that white South Africans are facing “genocide,” a theory widely rejected by experts and human rights groups. Trump has even suggested offering asylum to white South Africans who claim they face discrimination or violence.
While attacks on farms do occur in South Africa, crime data shows that victims come from multiple racial groups, and Black South Africans make up the overwhelming majority of homicide victims nationwide.
During their meeting in the Oval Office last May, Ramaphosa said Trump presented him with newspaper clippings he claimed supported allegations of widespread violence against white farmers. According to reporting by Reuters, some of the materials Trump cited were unrelated to South Africa.
Ramaphosa said Trump also showed a video he claimed depicted murdered white South African farmers. Later reporting found that the footage actually came from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“I think he’s just bereft of any reality about what South Africa is all about,” Ramaphosa said, adding that his government was surprised by the level of attention Trump has directed toward the country.
The White House did not directly address Ramaphosa’s remarks. Instead, a spokesperson defended Trump’s stance, saying the president was highlighting what the administration described as violence and discrimination faced by Afrikaner farmers.
The dispute underscores ongoing tensions between the two governments and the broader debate over crime, race and politics in South Africa.
