Donald Trump Questions African Reporter About Ebola After She Raises Ongoing Rwanda-DRC Violence

• United States President Donald Trump caused a stir online with his question towards a reporter at the White House
• The reporter raised the ongoing Rwanda-DRC violence, a conflict Trump claimed to have ended during his second term
• The exchange drew sharp reactions online, with users questioning Trump's grasp of the humanitarian situation in Congo

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has spent a decade reporting on South Africa's political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

WASHINGTON, DC — President Donald Trump drew widespread attention online after asking an African reporter "how is Ebola going?" during a press interaction at the Oval Office on Monday, 28 September 2026.

The reporter, who indicated she had recently travelled to Congo, raised the issue of continued violence between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo before Trump redirected the conversation toward the disease outbreak.

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The 2026 Ebola outbreak in the DRC has become the largest and fastest-growing Ebola epidemic in the country's history, recording 8,067 confirmed cases and 3,901 deaths as of late September 2026.

The reporter responded that Ebola was "under control," citing a conversation with the World Health Organisation director at the United Nations, but acknowledged that the country still required assistance to manage the situation.

Trump's claim that he ended the war

Earlier in the same Oval Office event, Trump asserted that the United States had already resolved the conflict between Rwanda and the DRC.

"We ended the war with Congo and Rwanda, and they both signed, and they both agreed. If there's a problem, we'll stop it," he said.

However, when the reporter noted that the conflict was ongoing, the US President quickly changed the topic to Ebola.

Social media users weigh in on Trump's question

The clip of the interaction circulated rapidly and prompted pointed responses from users.

@CinnamonWSpice wrote:

"He needs to ask how measles in the USA is going."

@AfrikaXtra disputed the reporter's assessment, stating:

"That African reporter is lying. Ebola in DRCongo is anything but under control. Cases and the death toll are climbing!"

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@dvillella suggested a political motive behind the question:

"He wants to know if cutting off funding has had the effects he desired?"

@WormyWormer45 commented:

"I'm sorry, is this still the same guy that every voter wanted? I swear, he acts more and more small-brained every year."

@Olson1036DDoug added:

"It is amazing how dulled we have become to the actions of this man. I would kick him out of my house in a flash for being so rude."

@DaHonorable49er suggested:

"She should have asked him how Iran and the Strait of Hormuz are going?"

Other stories about the USA and African countries

• The Eswatini government has confirmed that it received millions of dollars from the US to accept its deportees.
• Trump hosted the presidents of five African countries at the White House on Wednesday, 9 July 2025.
• Trump was roasted online after he mocked Lesotho, saying that no one had heard of the African country before.

Source: Briefly News