Mr Ramaphosa kept his cool. But the episode underlined Donald Trump’s warped views of South Africa—and how hard it will be to change them. The Trump administration has cut aid to Africa’s largest economy and seems set to cancel the preferential trade terms enjoyed by South Africa (and many other countries in the continent).

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defends the prioritisation of Afrikaner refugees, igniting a heated debate with Senator Tim Kaine over claims of racial persecution in South Africa.

W hen the UK’s prime minister Keir Starmer visited the White House in February, he charmed Donald Trump with an invitation from the British King Charles, playing to the presiden