New Target of Trump Anger: South Africa

Add South Africa to the list of nations in President Trump's dog house. On Sunday, Trump threatened to cut off all aid to the nation after claiming it was confiscating land from farmers, which the South African government says is a distortion of the truth. Another wrinkle in the debate: Trump ally Elon Musk is a native of South Africa who accuses its government of racism against white people. Coverage:

• Trump: South Africa "is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY," the president wrote on Truth Social. As the Washington Post notes, "certain classes of people" in this context is widely interpreted to refer to white South Africans. "I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!"
• South Africa: "The South African government has not confiscated any land," tweeted President Cyril Ramphosa in a lengthy reply. "The recently adopted Expropriation Act is not a confiscation instrument, but a constitutionally mandated legal process that ensures public access to land in an equitable and just manner as guided by the constitution." He added that the only direct aid his nation gets from the US is through the (endangered) PEPFAR program, which accounts for 17% of South Africa's HIV/AIDS program.

• New law: The measure referenced by Ramphosa is one he signed into law last month that allows the government to confiscate land in rare cases, reports Reuters. No confiscations have taken place, and the New York Times reports that "analysts say there are many checks and balances in place to prevent abuse" by the government. Future confiscations, if allowed to stand, would likely involve land no longer in use.
• Context: South Africa's white government took land from the nation's Black majority during its apartheid era through 1994, and the government has since sought to get land back in the hands of Black farmers through a "willing seller, willing buyer" system, per the AP and the BBC. The new law is an extension of this policy—which critics say is taking too long—and would likely face legal challenges should a confiscation be proposed.
• Context II: White South Africans comprise 7% of the population, but white-owned farms occupy roughly half of the nation's surface area, per the Times. Black residents still own only a "fraction" of the nation's land, per CNN.
• Musk: The Trump confidante replied to Ramphosa's post thusly on his X platform: "Why do you have openly racist ownership laws?"

(More South Africa stories.)