A trap: An unprecedented, inescapable, premeditated and blatant trap was sprung on South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday, May 21. The setting was one of the world's most scrutinized stages for visitors: the Oval Office at the White House.

Donald Trump had planned to confront his guest in front of journalists about one of his longstanding obsessions: the alleged persecution of Afrikaners, South Africa's White farmers. This narrative has been a recurring theme in the MAGA ("Make America Great Again") movement since his first term.

In February, American aid to South Africa was suspended by presidential decree. In March, the South African ambassador was expelled from the United States. Ramaphosa was therefore expecting a "Zelensky moment," referring to the treatment of the Ukrainian president in the Oval Office. In reality, his reception was even more inappropriate.

"We have thousands of stories talking about it, and we have documentaries, we have news stories," Trump declared after an initial round of polite, tension-free exchanges. The president asked for the lights to be dimmed as a screen was brought in for a pointed projection. The atmosphere was reminiscent of a criminal court, where the verdict was predetermined. A four-minute video was shown, lacking any detail or context, featuring tombstone crosses and excerpts from xenophobic speeches by Julius Malema, a loud but marginal South African political figure.

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