Trump Caught Using Congo Massacre Footage to Push False ‘White Farmer’ Death Claims in South Africa

In a striking diplomatic misstep, former U.S. President Donald Trump falsely presented a harrowing image from the Democratic Republic of Congo as evidence of a so-called “white genocide” in South Africa during a tense Oval Office meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The image, featuring body bags carried by humanitarian workers, was displayed by Trump as part of a print-out from a conservative blog post, which he claimed depicted white South African farmers murdered in racially motivated attacks. However, Reuters has confirmed that the image originated from a February 2025 video filmed in Goma, Congo, following an M23 rebel assault, and had nothing to do with South Africa.

Reuters Journalist Responds: “I Was Shocked”

The video, shot exclusively by Reuters journalist Djaffar Al Katanty, shows a mass burial following violent clashes between Congolese forces and M23 rebels. Al Katanty said access to the site was tightly controlled and only granted after negotiation with both the rebels and the Red Cross.

“To see President Trump using my footage of Congolese victims to push a false narrative about white farmers in South Africa was deeply shocking,” said Al Katanty.

The image had been used in a blog post on American Thinker, a right-wing U.S. site. Although the article didn’t mislabel the image directly, it was embedded in a piece discussing alleged racial tensions in South Africa and Congo. The YouTube-linked screengrab was pulled from the Reuters report, which was clearly credited, but Trump misidentified it completely.

Trump’s South Africa Narrative Faces Growing Scrutiny

This incident marks another controversial chapter in Trump’s long-standing attacks on South Africa’s land reform policies and accusations, unsupported by data, of widespread violence against white citizens. During the meeting, Trump interrupted proceedings to show video clips and printouts he claimed proved “horrible death” among white South Africans, referencing a long-debunked white genocide conspiracy theory.

The theory, widely shared in far-right forums, claims the South African government is complicit in orchestrating or ignoring the systematic murder of white farmers — a claim rejected by the South African government, independent fact-checkers, and human rights organisations.

Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to Washington aimed to repair strained diplomatic ties, but Trump’s actions only further strained the dialogue.

Blog Editor Acknowledges Misuse

Andrea Widburg, managing editor of American Thinker and author of the article Trump held up, said the former president “misidentified the image” but defended the post’s intention to highlight alleged pressure on white South Africans. She denied misleading readers and placed the blame squarely on Trump’s interpretation.

The White House has yet to comment on the incident.

With international footage misrepresented at the highest levels of diplomacy, this episode raises serious questions about the credibility and motivations behind Trump’s foreign policy rhetoric — and the danger of misinformation in global politics.