US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his claims of a “white genocide” against Afrinakers in South Africa, ramping up his rhetoric that this alleged persecution in a democratic country should be “stopped”.
“What’s happening in South Africa is terrible. It’s a terrible situation. What they’re doing to people, a certain group of people, is unbelievable. You wouldn’t think it could happen today,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday after delivering his special address at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.
“Well, we have seen the numbers, we’ve seen the records, and it is taking place and it’s gotta be stopped.”
The US and South Africa’s diplomatic relations have hit rock bottom of late over Washington’s perception that Pretoria was implementing race-based laws and grabbing land that belongs to white Afrikaners.
Trump has on many occasions claimed that “bad things were happening in South Africa” over the government’s land reform policies.
A recent United States Human Rights Report has also claimed that white farmers were being specifically targeted in racially motivated attacks in South Africa, remarks that were dismissed as “distorted and inaccurate” by the South African government.
In February, Trump announced executive order establishing the program specified that it was for “Afrikaners in South Africa who are victims of unjust racial discrimination,” referring to an ethnic group descended mostly from Dutch settlers.
The US House Committee on Foreign Affairs late last year passed a bill which seeks to re-evaluate the bilateral relationship between the United States and South Africa, and identify government leaders who should be subject to sanctions.
The latest stroke in this diplomatic spat was Trump refusing to attend the G20 Summit hosted by South Africa in Johannesburg in November, and his subsequent decision to not invite South Africa to the next summit in Miami, Florida, this year.
The Department of International Relations and the South African Presidency were not immediately available to comment on Trump’s latest remarks about South Africa.
Meanwhile, Trump used his address to the WEF to declare what he called the “fastest and most dramatic economic turnaround” in American history, marking one year since his return to the White House with a forceful defence of his economic and energy policies.
Positioning the US as the “economic engine of the planet”, Trump told delegates that when America grows, the rest of the world benefits.
He argued that global institutions had underestimated the impact of his policies, including tariffs, deregulation and tax cuts. A significant portion of the address focused on energy and trade.
Trump sharply criticised renewable energy policies, repeatedly referring to the “Green New Scam”, and blamed European governments for high electricity prices and reduced energy output.
“Instead of closing down energy plants, we’re opening them up,” he said, adding that his administration had expanded oil, gas and nuclear energy production.
Trump claimed US natural gas output was at an all-time high and oil production had risen by 730 000 barrels a day, contributing to falling fuel prices.
He also touted sweeping deregulation, claiming his administration had removed 129 regulations for every new one approved, and reduced the federal workforce by more than 270 000 employees in a single year.
Trump said federal spending had been cut by $100 billion and the budget deficit reduced by 27%.
On trade, Trump said tariffs had sharply reduced the US trade deficit while boosting domestic manufacturing, including steel production and factory construction.
The address was also marked by sharp criticism of Europe’s economic direction, particularly its energy policies, which Trump said had weakened growth and driven up costs.While insisting he wanted Europe to “do well”, Trump argued many countries were “not even recognisable anymore”.
While Trump was delivering his address, a group of about 200 Kurdish activists and citizens were protesting his presence outside the WEF meeting venue, calling him a supporter of genocide and demanding the freedom of Kurdistan.
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