Trump Shows Misleading Congo Footage as “Proof” of White Genocide in South Africa
Reuters Video from Congo Misused by Trump During Controversial Meeting with South African President Ramaphosa.
Watan-U.S. President Donald Trump displayed a screenshot from a Reuters video filmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as part of what he claimed on Wednesday were “evidence” of mass killings of white citizens in South Africa.
Holding up a printed version of a news article containing the image during a controversial Oval Office meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Trump declared: “These are all white farmers being buried.”
However, the truth is quite different. The video, published by Reuters on February 3 and verified by the agency’s fact-checking team, shows aid workers lifting body bags in the city of Goma, Congo. The footage was taken in the aftermath of violent clashes with Rwanda-backed M23 rebels and had nothing to do with South Africa. The image Trump presented was a cropped still from those scenes.
The White House declined to comment when contacted.
President Trump showed a screenshot of Reuters video taken in the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of what he falsely presented as evidence of mass killings of white South Africans https://t.co/mWvVy5Jpxf 1/3 pic.twitter.com/RVOsXUzKmb
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 22, 2025
Ramaphosa’s visit to Washington this week was aimed at mending ties with the U.S., strained by months of Trump’s criticism of South Africa’s land reform laws and foreign policy, alongside unsubstantiated accusations of abuse against the white minority—claims firmly denied by the South African government.
During the televised meeting, Trump again pushed this narrative, showing what he claimed was proof of “genocide” targeting white farmers in South Africa. He followed with printed articles, stating, “Death, death, death—horrible death.”
President Trump brought out pictures of the White genocide going on in South Africa, to show the president and the world. Trump is listening, and he is helping. God Bless Donald Trump. He is the President of the world. pic.twitter.com/Y8qxu4j3Wg
— 🗡️🛡️Sir Rickster🛡️🗡️ (@Rickster_75) May 21, 2025
This incident adds to the controversy over Trump’s use of misleading imagery and accusations that fuel racial and political tensions.
