and women’s rights issues, which, at the beginning of his career was not a popular stance, leaving him feeling “like a lone ranger.” He recalled the emails and messages he used to get saying, “Oh, stay in your lane, you’re a fashion designer ... not a politician.”
The meeting, announced Wednesday by the South African government and set for May 21, also comes after thethis Monday, the start of what the Trump administration said is a larger relocation plan for minority Afrikaner farmers who Trump has claimed are being persecuted in their homeland because of their race. South Africa denies the allegations and says whites in the majority Black country are not being singled out for persecution.
Ramaphosa’s office said he will be in the U.S. from Monday to Thursday of next week, and will meet with Trump on Wednesday at the White House. Ramaphosa’s trip would aim to “reset the strategic relationship between the two countries,” his office said.President Donald Trump listens as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks as he signs executive orders and proclamations in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, May 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)President Donald Trump listens as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks as he signs executive orders and proclamations in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, May 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The White House had no immediate comment on the meeting, which would be Trump’s first with the leader of a nation in Africa since he returned to office in January.Trump has criticized South Africa’s Black-led government on multiple fronts and issued an executive order Feb. 7 cutting all U.S. funding to the country as punishment for what he said were its anti-white policies at home and anti-American foreign policy.
The Republican president has singled out South Africa over what the U.S. calls racist laws against whites and has accused the government of “fueling” violence against white farmers. The South African government says the relatively small number of killings of white farmers should be condemned but are part of the country’s problems with violent crime and are not racially motivated.
Trump said Monday — the same day thatAlthough Norwegian authorities are not expecting an imminent conflict, if war comes to Northern Europe, Kongsberg could be critical.
The municipality, 85 kilometers (52 miles) southwest of the Norwegian capital Oslo with a population of around 27,000 people, is the headquarters of the Kongsberg Group, which makes high-precision weapons currently used in Ukraine. The company opened a new factory in 2024, ramping up production of advanced missiles used by multiple European countries.The town could also play host to troops if there is a conflict. In May, local authorities across the region met with the military to plan support for Western troops with logistics and healthcare in the event of a deployment.
“If the allies are coming to Norway, either staying, training, doing war work or in transit towards the east, we will have a big task for the whole community to support that,” Resser said.By readying for the worst, Resser said, the municipality also prepares for other — more likely — threats such as a pandemic,