Donald Trump officially cuts off all aid to South Africa.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order in early February 2025 that stopped all U.S. financial aid to South Africa. The new land expropriation law in South Africa, which permits the government to take land without paying compensation in order to rectify historical racial imbalances, served as the impetus for this decision. The U.S. administration linked the law to reported violent attacks on Afrikaner farms and voiced worries that it discriminates against the white minority.

President Trump suggested granting refugee status to white South Africans, particularly Afrikaners, who he said experience tyranny, in addition to halting funding. This offer was turned down by a large portion of the white South African populace, including groups like the Solidarity Movement and AfriForum. They underlined their resolve to stay in South Africa and fight against injustices there.

In response, the South African government defended its land reform laws, arguing that they were required to address the injustices of the apartheid era. They accused the Trump administration of ignoring the larger socioeconomic issues that the Black majority faces and denounced the U.S. measures as being ill-informed. International discussion has been triggered by the scenario, which has brought attention to South Africa's legacy of apartheid, economic inequality, and the complexity of land ownership.