Leavitt Blasts NBC Reporter Over Questions on Video of White South African Farmers’ Deaths

Leavitt strongly criticized an NBC reporter during a recent interview regarding questions about a video related to the deaths of white South African farmers. The exchange quickly drew attention for its tense and confrontational tone.

At Thursday’s White House press briefing, press secretary Karoline Leavitt sharply criticized NBC correspondent Yamiche Alcindor for questioning the authenticity of a video shown by President Donald Trump during his meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. The video featured rows of white crosses, which Trump said represented the graves of White Afrikaner farmers killed in ongoing farm attacks in South Africa.

Trump claimed many white South Africans feel endangered, saying, “People are fleeing South Africa for their own safety. Their land is being confiscated, and in many cases, they’re being killed.” The video reportedly showed about 1,000 white crosses marking what Trump described as burial sites of murdered white farmers.

However, Alcindor challenged the video’s accuracy, citing reports that the crosses were part of a memorial demonstration for a 2020 incident involving the killing of a white farming couple, rather than actual gravesites. During the briefing, she pressed Leavitt on what protocols exist for verifying such information shared with world leaders.

Leavitt responded firmly, defending the video’s legitimacy. She argued that the video shows crosses representing people racially persecuted by the government, and referenced The Associated Press, which had published a photo of the memorial with a caption confirming the crosses represent white farmers killed in farm murders. She dismissed Alcindor’s questions as “ridiculous,” emphasizing that multiple reputable sources have documented the memorial.

Meanwhile, President Ramaphosa asked Trump for specifics on the video’s location, stating, “I’d like to know where that is. Because this I’ve never seen.” Trump replied vaguely, “It’s in South Africa, that’s where.” Ramaphosa concluded, “We need to find out.”

A Biden administration State Department report on South Africa’s human rights conditions recorded 748 farm attacks and over 100 killings targeting white South Africans in 2021 and 2022. The report acknowledged uncertainty over whether these attacks are racially motivated or part of the country’s generally high crime rate, as South Africa ranks third globally in murder rates.

The Washington-based group Genocide Watch described South Africa as a “failed state” in terms of providing personal security, citing a murder rate of 34 per 100,000 people, second only to several narcotics-plagued countries in Central and South America.

Opinions vary on whether the farm attacks are racially motivated or simply part of broader lawlessness affecting all communities. Despite the debate, the White House continues to spotlight farm attacks as a key issue during diplomatic talks with South Africa, with Trump’s public showing of the video during Ramaphosa’s visit underscoring the administration’s focus on the topic.

WATCH:

Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.