South African President Says White Residents Labeled 'Refugees' by Trump Want Country to Go 'Back to Apartheid'

South Africa's president pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trump's claims that white South Africans are facing a "genocide," following their admittance as refugees.

"Those people who are being enticed to go to the United States do not fit the definition of a refugee," President Cyril Ramaphosa said during the Africa CEO Forum's annual summit Monday. He emphasized that those in question are not victims of persecution, but rather "a fringe grouping" who oppose South Africa's post-apartheid reform.

"They are leaving ostensibly because they don't want to embrace the changes that are taking place in our country," Ramaphosa said, adding that those individuals "would actually like to see South Africa go back to apartheid."

Trump defended his administration's resettlement plan during remarks at the White House on Monday, stating that white farmers in South Africa are being "brutally killed" and their land "confiscated." He called it "a genocide," and criticized reporters for ignoring what he portrayed as a racially motivated crisis.

"They happen to be white. Whether they are white or Black makes no difference to me," Trump said. "If it were the other way around, they'd talk about it."

Ramaphosa, however, rejected those claims and said he had spoken directly with Trump, urging him not to accept misinformation spread by anti-transformation factions in South Africa.

"We were well-taught by Nelson Mandela," Ramaphosa said, "to build a united nation of the diverse groupings that we have in South Africa... We intend to proceed with the implementation of our constitutional architecture."

Trump and Ramaphosa have a face-to-face meeting planned for next week. "We think that American government has got the wrong end of the stick here," Ramaphosa said. "But we'll continue talking to them."