WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 21: President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa meets with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on May 21, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 21: President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa meets with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on May 21, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
President Trump’s spreading of the false claim that South Africa is perpetrating a genocide against its white inhabitants is just the latest example of misinformation making its way from corners of the internet into presidential statements or even policy.
This isn’t the first time that a falsehood that began on the fringes of the right-wing made its way to the Trump White House. NPR’s Scott Detrow and Lisa Hagen examine how these beliefs have been able to reach the Oval Office.
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