Donald Trump again set an ambush in the oval office. “Spectacle”
In Wednesday's fight, President Donald Trump stood in a red corner, facing his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa. The guest came to trade and investment talks. He found himself in a diplomatic situation corresponding to his shoulder and head.
Trump attacked him, repeating the overthrown claims that white farmers in South Africa are massively killed and thrown out of their lands – the claims that Ramaphosa rejected. The US president even darkened the lights to show the editing of video clips allegedly depicting violence against whites. Ramaphosa calmly pointed out that most of the victims of crimes in South Africa are black people.
Experts are still trying to understand what the last one An ambush in the oval office means for foreign relations of the USA.
– This does not encourage people to meet Trump – Who knows how they will be treated? – says “Financial Times” by John Bolton, who served as Trump's national security advisor during his first term. “I think it brings the opposite effect to the intended one,” he adds.
This may have deep consequences for Trump's future relations with people such as the Chinese leader XI Jinping, who will want to avoid public quarrel at all costs.
“This must strengthen the existing fears of XI regarding unforeseen situations with the participation of foreign leaders,” says Stephen Wertheim, a historian of American foreign policy at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
A treat for Moscow and Beijing
This is not the first time Trump publicly rebuked the high -ranking guest. In February, the President of Ukraine Wołodymyr Zielnski, who was collapsed by Trump and JD Vance, received a similar reprimand for the lack of sufficient gratitude to the United States. This painful meeting caused fears of Fr. complete break of relations between two allies.
Experts say that such public disputes are a treat for Moscow and Beijing who perceive them as undermining the international prestige of the United States. American soft force has already been weakened by the liquidation of USAID, an American international development agency, which led to the closure of hundreds of health programs saving life around the world.
– Such actions speak in favor of China – says Michelle Gavin, an older scientific employee for studying African policy in the Council of Foreign Relations. – They give credibility to a Chinese argument that they are a reliable partner.
– Champagne traffic jams will shoot in Russia and China – says Christoph Heusgen, who was the national security advisor of the former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. – As a result of such incidents, the United States will significantly lose their importance on the international arena.
The international position of the US is already weakening. According to the latest Democracy Perception Index study, conducted in April, The percentage of countries with a positive image of the United States is currently 45 percent, which is a decrease from 76 percent. last year.
“Trump shuffled the cards”
In 82 of 100 tested countries, Trump's perception was negative. For comparison, Russian President Vladimir Putin was negatively evaluated in 61 countries, and XI Jinping only in 44 – this spectacle in the oval office will only contribute to the decrease in popularity [Stanów Zjednoczonych] – says Wertheim.
The new version of the diplomatic mixed martial arts, which takes place in the oval office, grew up with modest beginnings. Photo sessions have always been modest events, during which the president and his guest gave their hands and exchanged phrases for five to 10 minutes, after which the security guards led journalists, and the action moved to the office room.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office in the White House, May 21, 2025.
Trump shuffled the cards. Members of the office, including Vance, as well as a whole range of media supporting the magician [ruch Make America Great Again, Uczyńmy Amerykę znów wielką]and they have transformed into full -fledged press conferences, which the president clearly likes. “The whole royal entourage is now in place,” says Bolton.
During his first term of office, Trump rarely criticized his guests in public, limiting himself to small gestures of contempt, such as refusal to clarify Merkel's hands in front of television cameras in 2017. However, as the meetings with Zelanski and Ramaphosa show, the president's appetite at public humiliation Others have just increased.
Trump also took advantage of the opportunity to praise politicians who share his ideology, such as the president of Salvador Nayib Bukele, whom he personally thanked for help in the deportation campaign of undocumented immigrants.
Dubious allegations
Some world leaders were able to repel Trump's verbal attacks. During the February meeting in the White House with the President of France Emmanuel Macron Trump, the EU “borrows money to Ukraine [i] that he will recover them. “
Macron put his hand on Trump's shoulder and denied his words. “No, to be honest, we paid 60 percent of total costs. We delivered real money to make it clear,” he said.
Mark Carney, the newly elected Canada Prime Minister, also used his visit to the White House to firmly reject Trump's claimsaying: “There are places that are never for sale.” The last word, however, belonged to Trump, who gave tyrady about how the United States pay the lion's part of the cost of defending Canada.
However, for many observers, the meeting with Ramaphos was simply mysterious. The United States and South Africa had a lot to discuss: trade and investments, the future of BRICS, the G20 peak, which will take place in Johannesburg in November.
Instead, Trump focused on false allegations regarding the genocide of white African farmers.
Bolton wonders whether before the meeting these allegations were verified by American experts for South Africa, who would undoubtedly question their legitimacy.
– If not, what does this say to other world leaders? That pure propaganda, if he falls into Trump's brain, suddenly becomes the subject of his public statements addressed to the head of a foreign government? – says.
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