Trump defends giving white South Africans refugee status due to discrimination

President Donald Trump on Monday defended his decision to grant dozens of white South Africans status as "refugees," arguing that what was happening in South Africa amounted to "genocide." 

The Trump administration has accused South African leaders of passing racist, anti-white policies through affirmative action laws, and accepted 49 white South Africans into the country. The actions come after the administration has revoked refugee status for other countries, such as migrants from Sudan, Afghanistan and Ukraine.

Trump defended the designation during a press briefing at the White House, denying that race impacted his decision.

“It is a genocide that is taking place that you people don’t want to write about,” Trump told reporters. "It’s a terrible thing that’s taking place and farmers are being killed. They happen to be white, but whether they are white or Black makes no difference to me.”

The statement comes after the State Department outlined that South Africans looking to move to the United States under the refugee program “must be of South African nationality, must be of Afrikaner ethnicity or be a member of a racial minority in South Africa, and must be able to articulate a past experience of persecution or fear of future persecution."

The president also stated that although he is expected to meet with South African leaders next week, he is not sure if he can until the South African government resolves the allegations of racial discrimination. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.