President Cyril Ramaphosa Jokes About Trauma of Donald Trump Meeting, Reminded of It in Parliament

• President Cyril Ramaphosa joked about being traumatised whenever he saw someone dimming the lights
• The joke was in reference to Donald Trump dimming the lights during the White House meeting with Ramaphosa
• Sinawo Thambo of the Economic Freedom Fighters also reminded Ramaphosa of that meeting during a Q&A session

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

WESTERN CAPE - President Cyril Ramaphosa is not going to forget his meeting with Donald Trump in a hurry.

The South African President and the United States of America's leader met in the White House to resolve diplomatic tensions between the two nations on 21 May 2025.

While it has been a week since the landmark meeting, some of the moments from it continue to haunt the president.

Ramaphosa jokes about the dimming of the lights

During his keynote address at the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium in Cape Town on 27 May 2025, Ramaphosa joked that he was traumatised whenever someone dimmed the lights.

The lights were dimmed at the Century City Convention Centre where he delivered the keynote address, with the president joking that he was on high alert whenever this happened.

“So, when I came in, I saw the room going a bit dark. They darkened the room, and for a moment, I wondered, What is this? It’s happening to me again,” the president joked.

He made the joke in reference to his meeting with Trump in the White House, where the US President asked for the lights to be dimmed. Trump then played clips of alleged evidence that white genocide existed in South Africa.

Ramaphosa feels ‘abused’ in Parliament

Following his speech at the symposium, the president headed off to Parliament, where he was once more reminded of his meeting with Trump.

The president’s question-and-answer session didn’t go as planned, as members of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) disrupted proceedings for more than half an hour, causing the session to end without Ramaphosa being able to answer all the questions before him.

After remaining patient throughout the numerous interruptions, Ramaphosa eventually told the deputy speaker that he felt abused.

“Honourable deputy speaker, I feel abused. I honestly feel abused," he said.

Unfortunately, this drew a reply from the EFF’s Sinawo Tambo who reminded him about the incident in the White House.

“You didn’t feel like that when Trump was abusing you in the White House. Why didn’t you feel abused in the White House? You are feeling abused by your own people,” he stated.

Parliamentary sitting descends into chaos

Briefly News also reported that chaos erupted in a Parliamentary sitting on 27 May 2025, with proceedings marred by numerous delays.

Several members of the Economic Freedom Fighters were also removed from the sitting after they constantly interrupted the president.

South Africans weighed in on the removal of numerous members, with some agreeing with the decision and others against it.

Source: Briefly News