“It was an ambush.” That was the headline when South African President Cyril Ramaphosa met with Donald Trump at the White House. But Victor Davis Hanson says that narrative falls apart the moment you look closer. “Ambush,” he explained, means a surprise attack from a hidden position. “That was not an ambush. Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa… wanted that meeting with Donald Trump. He requested it. And when he came in, he was prepared to refute Donald Trump.” In fact, Hanson pointed out, the press had been giddy beforehand. They expected Ramaphosa to deliver a public dressing-down—what they didn’t expect was that Trump came just as prepared, if not more so. “Trump was ready for the bill of goods,” he said, “and had his own bill of goods.”

So why was Ramaphosa so eager to sit down with Trump? According to Hanson, it was solely about protecting an economic advantage—and salvaging a relationship that was quietly unraveling behind the scenes. “He wanted to meet Trump because he had a free trade agreement with the United States,” Hanson explained, “with NO tariffs placed on South African agriculture. Everything. Metals, everything.” South Africa wasn’t just benefiting from favorable trade terms. The country was also running a $9 billion surplus and still collecting half a billion dollars in U.S. foreign aid. “And in addition to that,” Hanson added, “he was getting $500 million in foreign aid from the United States.” Yet despite the benefits, Ramaphosa’s government wasn’t exactly acting like an ally. His ambassador had gone on record calling Trump a white supremacist in a video stunt Hanson described as “performance art.” The fallout was swift: Secretary of State Marco Rubio expelled the ambassador. In Hanson’s view, this meeting was Ramaphosa’s attempt to smooth things over—but not out of respect. It was about survival. And it was too little, too late.

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When the two leaders finally sat down, Trump fired the cannons. After years of watching foreign leaders cash in on U.S. generosity while publicly insulting America, Hanson said Trump decided it was time to cut the cord. “Donald Trump got sick of it,” he said. “We don’t hate South Africa, but they’re not our friends.” Gone was the idealism of the Mandela era. Hanson described today’s South Africa as “a racialist state,” plagued by violence, steeped in anti-Western sentiment, and far removed from the promise it once showed. So when Ramaphosa tried to confront Trump, the response was direct and unapologetic. Trump told him: If you think I’m a white supremacist, we’re not giving you $500 million. If your officials come here to insult us, don’t expect free access to U.S. markets. A 30% tariff is coming. And if you think the far-left press and activist networks control this country? Think again. As Hanson put it, Trump made it clear: “They’re not. So when you come over here and attack us and call us racist, maybe you shouldn’t come over here.”

Hanson closed with a prediction—and it wasn’t subtle. “I don’t think Donald Trump will visit South Africa,” he said, “but I guarantee you Mr. Ramaphosa will want another meeting like Mr. Zelenskyy did.” He imagined the scene: Ramaphosa, walking into another meeting, asking Trump to drop the 30% tariff. “‘Please take away the 30% tariff.’” Asking for the return of the $500 million handout. “‘Please give us the $500 million handout in foreign aid.’” Pleading for South Africans to be welcomed back into the fold. “‘Please let all the South Africans—not just the 48 people… whom we called cowards because they didn’t want to play the lottery whether they were going to get killed or not—but let all of us come back in. Please, please, please.’” And then, the part that hit hardest: “‘We promise,’” Hanson said, voicing the hypothetical appeal, “‘that we will not allow people to pack stadiums and say ‘Kill the Boer,’ ‘Kill the farmer,’ and say that’s not hate speech.’” Hanson has a point—because when you bite the hand that feeds you, don’t be surprised when it stops picking up the check.

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