Leavitt's clash with NBC correspondent over alleged 'white genocide'

Daily Mail​

22-05-2025

Karoline Leavitt got into a heated clash with an NBC correspondent over President Trump's claims about a video purporting to show a South African 'burial site' amid a claim of 'white genocide' in the country. Leavitt and NBC's Yamiche Alcindor repeatedly interrupted each other after the journalist told the White House press secretary what the president said in the Oval Office Wednesday was 'not true.' It provided the second day of fireworks over a clash centered on Trump allies claiming there is 'white genocide' going on the country as the U.S. accepts white South African as refugees even amid Trump's mass deportation campaign.
'The President showed a video that he said showed more than 1,000 burial sites of white South Africas that were murdered. We know that that was not true and that the video wasn't showing that. So I wonder, why did the President choose to show that ...' 'What's not true?' Leavitt interrupted. 'It's not true that the video was showing a burial site,' continued Alcindor, a former PBS correspondent. 'It is unsubstantiated that that's the case,' she added – launching a dispute about what exactly Trump showed and claimed during a shocking White House meeting with the South African president. 'It is true that that video showed the crosses,' said Leavitt, showing obvious annoyance at the questioning, as Alcindor again told her it 'did not show a burial site, which is what the President claims,' Alcindor interrupted.
Leavitt then dispensed with the distinction. 'The video shows images of crosses in South Africa about white farmers who have been killed and politically persecuted because of the color of their skin,' Leavitt said. 'The fact that they are now dead ...' she continued, as the two women talked over each other. 'Are you disputing?' Leavitt tried to ask her, before Alcindor jumped in: 'I was disputing the fact that the video showed what the President claimed it showed, because it did not show that.' It was perhaps the most charged one-on-one exchanges yet for Leavitt, 27, who usually makes a habit of moving on after fielding a single question from a reporter.
The topic itself was charged, and came a day after Trump tore into NBC's Peter Alexander when the correspondent pressed Trump about a new substitute for Air Force One that the Qatari government is donating to the Pentagon. As Alcindor noted, Trump himself described the shocking footage he showed to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as showing 'burial sites,' in a stunning episode that played out after playing the clip in a darkened Oval Office. DOGE head Elon Musk, a native of South Africa who has said White farmers are facing 'genocide', was on hand for the event. 'Look here's burial sites all over the place,' Trump said. Trump appears to have shown video taken of the Witkruis Monument, which honors both white and black farmers who have died in attacks. It was a landmark that Ramaphosa was initially unable to identify when Trump played the shock video.
Trump put on the stunning display in the Oval Office Wednesday – creating a viral moment like the one that happened during the dressing down of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ramaphosa came to the White House hoping to improve South Africa 's relationship with the Trump administration. Trump had previously canceled aid to the country, expelled the South African ambassador and offered refuge to white minority Afrikaners. Trump has claimed that there's a race-based 'genocide' unfolding in the African nation, with South African-born DOGE leader Elon Musk agreeing. Musk stood amongst the reporters in the Oval Office when the dramatic showdown went down - similar to what met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ramaphosa came Wednesday to soothe things - telling Trump at the top of their remarks that he brought him a golf book and had worked on his golf game.
He had champion golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen and luxury goods tycoon Johann Rupert tag along. In turn, Trump humiliated Ramaphosa - asking aides to dim the lights in the Oval Office as he played a supercut of speeches from EFF leader Julius Malema, whose trademark song at rallies is 'Shoot the Boer, Shoot the farmer.' Trump then pulled out a pile of news clippings, including a story from the Daily Mail from writer Sue Reid, about why white South Africans are fleeing violence and 'racist' laws. The Mail's report detailed a white South African now farming in Arkansas and making better money because 'black empowerment' policies have put white job applicants at the back of the line.
'These are articles over the last few days - a death of people, death, death, horrible death, death, death,' Trump said paging through a pile of news clippings and showing them off to the cameras. 'White South Africans are fleeing being of the violence and "racist" laws,' he continued, reading the Mail's headline. 'And I'll give these to you,' Trump told Ramaphosa. 'So when you say, "What would you like to do?" I don't know what to do for this - white South African couples say that they were attacked violently.' 'Look here's burial sites all over the place,' Trump continued. The president had shown a clip of white crosses lining a roadway. Ramaphosa was aghast, admitting that he didn't know where that was. Trump appeared to have shown footage of the Witkruis Monument, which honors both white and black farmers who have died in attacks.
'When you look at the videos, I mean, how does it get worse? And these are people that are officials and they're saying "kill the white farmer and take their land,"' Trump said. Malema's rally song was popularized during the anti-apartheid struggle but Afrikaner lobby groups have amounted it to hate speech and tried to get it banned. 'That is not government policy. We have a multi-party democracy in South Africa that allows people to express themselves,' Ramaphosa tried to explain. 'And in many cases, or in some cases, those policies do not go along with government policy.' 'Our government policy is completely, completely against what he was saying, even in the parliament, and a small minority party, which is allowed to exist in terms of our Constitution,' Ramaphosa said. Trump then charged: 'But you do allow them to take land.' 'They take the land, they kill the white farmer and when they kill the white farmer, nothing happens to them,' the American president continued.
Trump asked later: 'Why would you not arrest this man? That man said "kill the white farmers, kill the white farmers" and then he danced.' Ramaphosa pushed back and said that violence in his country impacted people of all races - and actually affected black South Africans more. 'There is criminality in our country. People who do get killed, unfortunately, through criminal activity are not only white people, a majority of them are black people,' the South African leader said. Increasing the dramatic scene was Trump's decision to periodically tear into NBC News' Peter Alexander. Alexander had initially asked Trump why the U.S. was welcoming white South Africans but not Afghan and Venezuelan refugees. 'Well, this is a group, NBC, that is truly fake news,' Trump replied.
Trump really lost it on the veteran journalist when he asked about the Qatari plane being given to the Department of Defense directly after Trump rolled the video clips showing 'white genocide' in South Africa. 'There are all white farmers being buried and he asks about a jet that was given. You outta be ashamed of yourself. You are so bad, you're such a bad reporter,' Trump chided. The news had broken earlier Wednesday that the Pentagon had officially accepted the luxury Boeing jet from the Qataris to be turned into a temporary Air Force One. '"So why did they gave us a plane to the United States Air Force?" that's what that idiot talks about after viewing a thing where thousands of people are dead,' Trump said. Ramaphosa used the moment as an opportunity. 'I'm sorry I don't have a plane to give you,' the South African leader joked. 'I wish you did,' Trump answered. 'If your country offered the United States Air Force a plane I would take it.'
When it was Rupert's turn to speak he noted, 'It's not only white farmers, it's across the board.' Looking at Musk he continued. 'We need technological help. We need Starlink at every little police station. We need drones. I actually got drones donated for the peace parks to stop elephant and rhino poaching and his predecessor stopped the importation because he said the United States would spy on us,' Rupert continued. Turning to Trump the prominent businessman said, 'Remember, sir, you and I lived in New York in the 70s. We never thought New York would be what it became.' 'We need your help to stop this awful killing but it's across the board,' Rupert said. Ramaphosa gave a generous assessment of the meeting as he departed the West Wing. 'Very well,' he told reporters. When asked if he thought Trump 'heard' him, Ramaphosa reiterated the positive review. 'Yes he did, it went very well,' Ramaphosa said.