The White House defended President Donald Trump’s display of a video depicting white crosses, which he claimed represented burial sites of murdered white South African farmers, during a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. The video, shown in the Oval Office, has sparked controversy and debate over its authenticity and the broader issue of violence against farmers in South Africa.
NBC News reporter Yamiche Alcindor challenged the credibility of the video during a White House press briefing, suggesting that the crosses were part of a 2020 memorial demonstration for a murdered farming couple, not actual graves. Alcindor questioned the protocols in place for verifying such information before presenting it to world leaders.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt responded firmly, stating, “What’s unsubstantiated about the video?” She cited the Associated Press, noting that the crosses were part of a monument where “each cross marks a white farmer who has been killed in a farm murder.” Leavitt dismissed Alcindor’s questioning as “ridiculous” and emphasized the need to recognize the racial persecution reflected in the video. “The video shows crosses that represent the dead bodies of people who were racially persecuted by their government,” she added.
President Ramaphosa expressed unfamiliarity with the sites shown in the video and requested further clarification. Trump responded, “I mean, it’s in South Africa, that’s where,” prompting Ramaphosa to state, “We need to find out.”
In 2024, the South African legislator passed a bill allowing the government to expropriate private land without compensation. Critics say this has been used a legal tool to push racial discrimination by targeting the land of white farmers for seizure. Observers have also raised concerns over the perceived targeted killing of white Afrikaners across the nation. The South African government has denied these claims, saying its policies do not target a specific race and that the farmer deaths are part of an uptake in crime that is not racial motivated.
