In May 2019, President Trump abruptly changed the subject during a meeting about Iran to focus on white South African farmers’ asylum and citizenship. Bolten, his national security adviser at the time, felt little importance in Trump’s wish, as the president had embraced ideas from white Afrikaner activists. However, five years later, these ideas have shaped U.S. foreign policy as the Trump administration welcomes white South Africans while suspending programs for other refugees.
The increased hostility in the relationship between South Africa and the United States began with several factors, including meetings with Afrikaner activists and the break between the two countries over Israel’s war in Gaza. The administration has been influenced by hard-right conservatives and officials who support the president’s focus on eradicating diversity and inclusion programs.
Trump’s most influential advisers include hard-right conservatives who execute an agenda influenced by white victimhood. Most officials who may have rebuffed Trump’s ideas have been replaced by loyalists willing to turn his impulses into policy. A conversation with South African golfer Gary Player also sparked Trump’s interest in the matters involving white farmers.
The Trump administration has been focusing on issues in South Africa since 2018, particularly the land ownership situation. Black South Africans continue to lag behind white South Africans economically, and in 2020, the president of South Africa signed a law enabling the government to take private land without compensation when necessary. However, landownership remains heavily dominated by white South Africans.
Critics of South Africa’s government say it has failed to address needs adequately and is subject to scrutiny, while U.S. politicians have a romanticized view of the country. U.S. officials and Afrikaner activists point to the “Kill the Boer” chant as evidence of targeting against white South Africans.
South African government officials recently defended their land policies when they were criticized by U.S. officials for their approach to race, and the Ambassador to the U.S. was expelled after calling Mr. Trump “supremacist.” After issuing an executive order stopping aid to South Africa, the U.S. announced it would prioritize the resettling of “Afrikaner refugees.” The issue has spread division between U.S. politicians and has set aside programs for vetted refugees worldwide.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/us/politics/trump-south-africa-afrikaners.html
