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President Donald Trump criticized an NBC reporter on Wednesday for attempting to shift the focus during a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa centered on the persecution of white Afrikaners to a question about a Qatari jet that will be used as Air Force One.
While meeting in the Oval Office, Trump played a video for Ramaphosa showing South African officials chanting phrases like “kill the Boer” and stating that “killing is part of a revolution.” The footage also included images of what Trump said were burial sites of “over 1,000 white farmers.” The meeting came amid growing concerns about violence against white residents in South Africa and followed the United States’ acceptance of Afrikaner refugees.
As Trump discussed the issue, an NBC reporter abruptly asked about a separate matter, saying, “Mr. President, the Pentagon announced they would be accepting a Qatar jet to be used as Air Force One—”
Trump immediately interrupted, saying, “This is NBC trying to get off the subject of what you just saw.”
“For you to go into a subject about a jet that was given to the United States Air Force,” Trump continued, “you ought to go back to your studio at NBC.”
“You’re a disgrace. No more questions for you,” he concluded.
The question referred to a report that Qatar’s royal family had offered to gift a Boeing 747-9 jumbo jet to the US Department of Defense for use as a replacement Air Force One. Trump addressed the matter last week on Truth Social, stating the aircraft was being received “free of charge.” As the meeting was taking place in the Oval Office, the Pentagon announced that it had formally accepted the offer, per ABC.
The announcement immediately received pushback, despite White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying that any foreign gift “is always accepted in full compliance with all applicable laws.”
English (US) ·