US President Donald Trump maintained that there are “bad things” happening in South Africa while announcing new global reciprocal tariffs on Wednesday evening.
Speaking in the Rose Garden at the White House, Trump stated that South Africa would face tariffs of 30%. Following the announcement, the South African rand was significantly affected, dropping sharply against the US dollar and other major currencies.
“South Africa, oh, 60%, 30%, and they have got bad things going on there,” Trump said. “You know, we are paying them billions of dollars, but we are cutting the funding because a lot of bad things are happening in South Africa. The fake news don’t want to report on it,” he said.
In February, Trump declared that he was terminating all future funding to South Africa pending an investigation. He claimed that certain individuals were being treated very poorly and that the South African government was confiscating land.
Trump punishes South Africa again
“Today, we’re standing up for the American worker, and we are finally putting America first,” Trump stated. He suggested that the US has historically supported countries worldwide and implied that those countries become upset when the US tries to reduce this support. “For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike,” Trump said.
In the past two months, Trump has been very vocal about South Africa. In February, he that Afrikaners could be admitted as refugees in the U.S. because they are “victims of unjust racial discrimination.
Do you think Trump is bullying other countries with tariffs?
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