Ramaphosa takes witty jab at Trump: I don't have a plane to give you. Watch

UPDATED: May 22, 2025 04:34 IST

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the Oval Office on Wednesday. At the meeting, Ramaphosa tried to lighten the mood, joking, "I don’t have a plane to give you," after a reporter asked President Donald Trump about his controversial acceptance of a $400 million Qatari aircraft.

Trump, seemingly amused at first, shot back, "If your country offered the United States Air Force a plane, I would take it."

But the president’s tone quickly soured when pressed by the same reporter on whether accepting such a gift was ethical. “You’re a bad reporter. You ought to be ashamed of yourself,” Trump snapped, before banning the journalist from asking further questions.

Ramaphosa, hoping to smooth over the escalating tension, leaned back into humour: "I’m sorry I don’t have a plane to give you."

"I wish you did," Trump said, drawing laughter from Ramaphosa. "I would take it. If your country offered the United States Air Force a plane, I would take it."

"Okay," the South African president replied.

Earlier, in an unusually blunt Oval Office exchange, Trump showed Ramaphosa a video he said depicted "burial sites" of white farmers and handed him articles alleging targeted killings. "These are burial sites right here... over a thousand... they’re all White farmers," Trump narrated.

Ramaphosa, expressionless as the video played, said he had not seen the footage and asked for its source. He also pushed back on Trump’s allegations.

"There is crime in South Africa, and the majority of victims are Black," Ramaphosa said calmly.

Trump interrupted, "The farmers are not Black."

Ramaphosa, when later asked how it went, told reporters, "It went very well."

With inputs from AP, Reuters