The Tensions Behind the Trump-Ramaphosa White House Meeting (Michelle Gavin – Council On Foreign Relations)

The backdrop for the May 21 meeting between President Trump and President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa could hardly be bleaker. In a matter of months, the United States has cut off foreign assistance to the country, dashed hopes for extending an existing trade agreement, threatened it with new 30 percent tariffs, expelled its ambassador to Washington, and repeatedly accused the government of indifference to an ongoing genocide in the country. Indeed, for an administration relatively indifferent to African issues, the Trump administration has been uncharacteristically focused on South African developments, both real and imagined.

The Tensions Behind the Trump-Ramaphosa White House Meeting | Council on Foreign Relations