Trump Cites Misleading Images to Support Genocide Claims in South Africa

During a Wednesday meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, President Trump asserted that white South African farmers are victims of genocide. To support this claim, he displayed an image purportedly showing victims being buried in South Africa. However, investigations revealed that the photo actually originated from conflict zones in eastern Congo, not South Africa. This was among several inaccurate assertions made during the meeting.

Below is an overview of some of the most prominent inaccuracies presented during the discussion.

Misuse of Conflict Imagery

At the meeting, President Trump presented a collection of articles and blog posts as evidence of the persecution of white farmers in South Africa. While showing one image featuring medical personnel in white protective suits carrying body bags, he stated, “Here are burial sites all over the place. These are white farmers being buried.”

However, the image was later identified as part of footage from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, depicting the aftermath of clashes between government forces and the M23 rebel group. The photo had been circulated online, including by a conservative magazine that labeled it merely as a “YouTube screen grab,” without attribution to South Africa.

Requests for comment on the image from the U.S. administration went unanswered.

A Controversial Chant