Trump’s Photo Blunder: Shows Bodies from Congo in Meeting on South Africa

A dramatic meeting between US President Donald Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has attracted attention after Trump displayed a photo he claimed documented killings of white South African farmers.

However, the photo originated from an entirely different conflict — and a completely different country.

A Frightening Mismatch

During a notable meeting at the White House, Trump presented a printout of an article accompanied by a photo featuring body bags.

“These are all white farmers being buried,” he remarked, pointing at the photo in front of a visibly stunned Ramaphosa.

But the picture was not from South Africa. It was a screenshot from a Reuters video shot in the Congolese town of Goma, where humanitarian workers were dealing with victims after battles between M23 rebels and government forces in February.

The video was recorded by Reuters journalist Djaffar Al Katanty and was swiftly identified by the news agency’s fact-check team as being misused in an incorrect context.

A Contentious Political Symbolism

The blog post that Trump referred to was published by the conservative American media outlet American Thinker and concerned tensions in both South Africa and Congo.

The photo was labeled as a “YouTube screen grab,” but without context, and included a link to the YouTube video, where Reuters was credited.

Diplomacy or Disinformation?

The meeting between Trump and Ramaphosa took place in a climate marked by heightened tensions. Trump has previously criticized South Africa’s land reform policies and accused the country of discriminating against its white minority.

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