‘HE’S AMAZING’: Howard Lutnick Opens Up About Trump’s Confrontation With South African President

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick praised President Donald Trump’s courage and tenacity in confronting the president of South Africa with a video showing chants of “Kill the Boer, Kill the [white] farmer” in the Oval Office.

“Well, the president is willing to call it out, straight out, right to the president of South Africa and say, ‘Look there’s genocide going on for white farmers, ‘Kill the Boer, Kill the white farmer,’” Lutnick told Axios’ Mike Allen on Wednesday after Trump played the video.

When Allen mentioned that Trump “doesn’t mind an uncomfortable moment,” Lutnick said, “Oh boy, was it uncomfortable.”

Lutnick recalled, “You know, I walk in and he’s got the video screen up and I know what video he’s going to play, and I’m like, ‘Whoa, this is going to be one of those!’”

The commerce secretary noted that Trump and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa “had a serious discussion” privately.

“He’s amazing that he would do it straight up, right to it, no nonsense,” Lutnick said. “Let’s bring it, the guy’s here, let’s try to fix it, right? Is this guy our friend or is he an enemy?”

“Let’s bring it out, let’s have the discussion, let’s understand it, let’s know it,” Lutnick continued. “That’s someone who’s unafraid and willing to do it.”

“That’s why it’s amazing to be part of his government,” the commerce secretary concluded.

In a February executive order, Trump condemned South Africa’s Expropriation Act 13 of 2024, legislation enabling the government to “seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation.” He also condemned “disproportionate violence against racially disfavored landowners.”

The South African government claimed that “the foundational premise” of Trump’s order “lacks factual accuracy and fails to recognize South Africa’s profound and painful history of colonialism and Apartheid.” The government denounced “what seems to be a campaign of misinformation and propaganda aimed at misrepresenting our great nation.”

Trump welcomed Afrikaner refugees to the United States earlier this month.

Defenders of the expropriation law cite South Africa’s history of racial segregation under white minority rule, and reference a 2017 land audit finding that white people, who comprise 8% of the population, owned about three-quarters of farms and agricultural holdings. Advocates say the government could only buy land for redistribution to black owners under a “willing-seller, willing-buyer” model, while large amounts of white-owned land remained unused, Time magazine reported.

Critics like Trump and Elon Musk, however, note a history of violence against white farmers and the use of political songs that translate to “kill the white farmer.” The song’s defenders say it is symbolic of fighting Apartheid, rather than a suggestion of violence in the here and now.

After the discussion on South Africa, Lutnick explained the Trump Gold Card, a new avenue for foreigners to obtain permanent resident status for $5 million.

“Everyone I meet who’s not an American is going to want to buy the card if they have the fiscal capacity,” the secretary said. “This is for people who can help America pay off its debt. Why wouldn’t you want a Plan B that says, ‘God forbid something bad happens, you come to the airport in America and the person in immigration says, ‘Welcome home.’”

The “gold card” visa would replace the EB-5 investor visa, which costs between $100,000 and $200,000 in fees. Investors have to commit to invest between $800,000 and $1 million and hire at least 10 Americans.

Critics, like Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., warn that the policy may exclude job creators.

“You don’t need to have $5 million in your bank account to build a successful company in America. Just look at Sergey Brin, Sundar Pichai, or Satya Nadella,” Khanna told Newsweek in February.

Lutnick also addressed Allen’s questions on tariffs, describing Trump’s tariffs as a way to get better deals for American workers and businesses. He condemned globalist policies and nation-building following wars.

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