Trump Showed South Africa's President Video of a 'Burial Site' as Proof of 'Genocide.' It Was From a Protest Years Ago

President Donald Trump presented South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with a video he claimed proved a "white farmer genocide"—but the footage actually showed a 2020 protest, not a mass grave.

In a dimly lit Oval Office presentation Wednesday, Trump showed Ramaphosa images and clips, including one of rows of white crosses that he said were burial markers for murdered white farmers. In reality, the video depicted a 2020 protest in Normandien following the murder of a local farming couple, according to ABC News.

"These are the -- these are burial sites right here," Trump said in regards to the footage. The crosses were symbolic, and later removed.

Trump also misidentified an image from the Democratic Republic of Congo as South African and played a video of politician Julius Malema chanting "Kill the Boer," attempting to frame it as state-sanctioned policy.

Ramaphosa responded that such rhetoric does not represent his administration, and that violent crime in South Africa disproportionately affects Black citizens. Despite Ramaphosa's pushback and a 2025 South African court ruling that declared claims of white genocide "not real," Trump doubled down.

The White House released a statement defending Trump's assertions and citing selectively sourced media coverage. Elon Musk, a top Trump adviser and South African native, also attended the meeting and has previously echoed similar claims online.

Trump has repeatedly alleged that white South African farmers face systemic violence and racial persecution, a claim widely discredited by South African courts, international experts, and the country's own crime statistics.