NATIONAL NEWS - United States (US) President Donald Trump has taken a fresh swipe at South Africa, weeks before it is set to host the G20 Summit.
Trump was in Miami delivering an address to the American Business Forum — a gathering of businesspeople, entertainers and sports personalities.
The US president’s speech came a day after democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayoral election.
Trump won’t represent US
Trump was lamenting Mamdani’s victory, suggesting the new mayor’s promises to freeze residential rentals and provide government-run supermarkets would ruin the Big Apple.
He then noted the history that the forum’s host city had for taking in refugees, before possibly misreading his prompter and beginning an ad-libbed rebuke of South Africa.
“For generations, Miami has been a haven for those fleeing communist tyranny in South Africa,” Trump said.
“If you take a look at what’s going on in parts of South Africa…look at South Africa, what’s going [on]… look at South America, what’s going on.
“You know I’m not going there. We have a G20 meeting in South Africa — South Africa shouldn’t even be in the Gs anymore ‘cause what’s happening there is so bad.
“I’m not going, I told them I’m not going, I’m not going to represent our country there. It shouldn’t be there,” he said, without elaborating.
Returning to Mamdani and his Democratic opponents, Trump had a warning for the forum.
“Take a look at what’s happening in different parts of the world. But now the democrats are so extreme that Miami will soon be the refuge for those fleeing communism in New York City,”
“After last night’s results, the decision facing all Americans could not be more clear. We have a choice between communism and common sense,” Trump said.
Threats aimed at Nigeria
In a speech given on Wednesday night to celebrate the anniversary of his administration winning a second term, Trump addressed the conflict in Nigeria.
Jihadist militant group Boko Haram have led an insurgency in north-eastern Nigeria since at least 2009, with the US president demanding that the nation protect Christians in the country.
“If the Nigerian government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the USA will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria,” said Trump.
“We’re going to do things to Nigeria that Nigeria is not going to be happy about, and [we] may very well go into that now-disgraced country, guns-ablazing, to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible, horrible atrocities.
Trump said he had instructed the US Department of War to prepare for the need to strike in West Africa.
“If we attack, it will be fast and vicious, just like the terrorists attack our cherished Christians. The Nigerian government better move fast before it is too late; if they don’t, there is going to be hell to pay,” he concluded.
Article: Caxton publication, The Citizen
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