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Trump doesn’t plan to deport Prince Harry, saying Meghan Markle is enough of a burden for the royal

President Donald Trump on Friday said that he isn’t interested in deporting Prince Harry, who famously left Britain with his wife, Meghan Markle, in 2020, eventually settling in Montecito, California. 

The Duke of Sussex is in hot water after conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation filed a lawsuit last year against the Department of Homeland Security to have his immigration records released following Harry admitting to illegal drug use in the past in his 2023 memoir ‘Spare.’

‘I don’t want to do that,’ Trump told the New York Post on Friday after being asked if he would deport the royal. ‘I’ll leave him alone. He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.’

Markle has criticized Trump in the past, calling him ‘misogynistic’ and ‘divisive’ during a TV appearance ahead of the 2016 election. 

In 2019, before a state visit to the U.K. during his first term as president, Trump called the Duchess of Sussex ‘nasty’ over her remarks about him. 

He then went on to meet with the royal family during the visit, minus Markle, who was with newborn Archie at the time. 

He also told Piers Morgan in 2022 that Harry was ‘whipped like no person he had ever seen.’

The Heritage Foundation in its lawsuit says that Harry may have lied on his immigration forms about his past drug use or was given preferential treatment by the government and called on the records to be released. 

‘I’ll be urging the president to release Prince Harry’s immigration records and the president does have that legal authority to do that,’ Nile Gardiner of the Heritage Foundation previously told the New York Post.

‘It’s important because this is an issue of the rule of law, transparency and accountability. No one should be above the law,’ Gardiner added. ‘Donald Trump is ushering in a new era of strict border control enforcement, and you know, Prince Harry should be held fully to account as he has admitted to extensive illegal drug use.’

This week a federal judge said he is ‘likely’ to release Harry’s immigration files after the first hearing in the royal’s high-profile case since Trump took office.

U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols said Harry’s files should be released ‘to the maximum extent possible,’ during Wednesday’s hearing in Washington, D.C., according to a report from the New York Post, with the judge reasoning that he is ‘required to make public everything that can be made public’ but would take care not to violate any privacy laws.

Last year during the campaign, Trump told Nigel Farage in an interview that the government would have to take the ‘appropriate action’ if Harry was found to have lied on his immigration forms, but didn’t explicitly say he would seek to deport him. 

Trump also accused the Biden administration of ‘protecting’ Harry, saying in a separate interview with the Daily Express in February 2024 ‘I wouldn’t protect him. He betrayed the Queen. That’s unforgivable. He would be on his own if it was down to me.’

On Friday, Trump conversely praised Prince William, with whom Harry has a long-running feud, as a ‘great young man.’ 

Trump recently met with William in December in Paris when the two attended the reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral following its devastating fire. 

Fox News’ Michael Lee contributed to this report. 

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Trump, South Africa in growing row over hotly contested land law, country’s deals with US foes

JOHANNESBURG — President Donald Trump’s executive order penalizing South Africa released on Friday has hit a raw nerve in the African nation. The order primarily aimed at land seizures comes as Pretoria has faced ongoing U.S. criticisms that it has operated against U.S. interests, including its support of the Palestinians in the International Criminal Court and its warm relations with China, Russia and Iran.

Friday’s executive order stated in part, ‘In shocking disregard of its citizens’ rights, the Republic of South Africa recently enacted Expropriation Act 13 of 2024, to enable the government of South Africa to seize ethnic minority Afrikaners’ agricultural property without compensation.’

‘It is the policy of the United States that, as long as South Africa continues these unjust and immoral practices that harm our Nation:
(a) the United States shall not provide aid or assistance to South Africa; and
(b) the United States shall promote the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination, including racially discriminatory property confiscation.’

Friday’s executive order pointedly took aim at Pretoria’s foreign policy: ‘South Africa has taken aggressive positions towards the United States and its allies, including accusing Israel, not Hamas, of genocide in the International Court of Justice, and reinvigorating its relations with Iran to develop commercial, military, and nuclear arrangements … The United States cannot support the government of South Africa’s commission of rights violations in its country or its undermining United States foreign policy, which poses national security threats to our Nation, our allies, our African partners, and our interests.’

On Saturday the South African government responded, ‘It is of great concern that the foundational premise of this order lacks factual accuracy and fails to recognize South Africa’s profound and painful history of colonialism and apartheid,’ Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for the country’s International Relations Department, posted on X.

Phiri added that ‘we are concerned by what seems to be a campaign of misinformation and propaganda aimed at misrepresenting our great nation. It is disappointing to observe that such narratives seem to have found favor among decision-makers in the United States of America.’

Although it lost its majority in last year’s elections, the African National Congress (ANC) is still the main party in South Africa’s present government of national unity. The party’s secretary general reacted to the offer that White Afrikaners can go become U.S. citizens by posting a photo on X. In it, a black man is standing by an open door and gesturing with both arms outside the door, suggesting Afrikaners should leave.

The government has claimed Whites of all backgrounds, not just Afrikaners, still own approximately 70% of South Africa’s land. The government is on record saying the Expropriation Act will only be used to take land needed for public purposes – such as for a new school – from people of any color when the owner refuses to sell, and even then there would be ‘fair and equitable compensation.’

Emma Powell, the international relations spokesperson for South Africa’s main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, told Fox News Digital that ‘for decades, the DA has opposed the ANC’s race-based policies. These policies have benefited the political elite while the vast majority of South Africans continue to languish in poverty.’

She continued that the DA ‘will be pursuing legal action to safeguard property rights. It is now time for the ANC to re-evaluate both their domestic and foreign policy positions, which actively undermine our national interests.’

Powell told Fox News Digital, her party will send ‘a high-level delegation to Washington D.C. in coming weeks to engage with decision-makers. The DA remains committed to protecting private property rights, fostering economic growth, and strengthening diplomatic ties with the U.S.’

Afrikaners, descendants of predominantly Dutch settlers who landed in Southern Africa in 1652, became the country’s rulers and are widely believed to have developed the apartheid system that separated Whites and Blacks, treating Blacks as second-class citizens.

In a statement released on Saturday, AfriForum, a civil rights group that largely represents Afrikaners, expressed ‘great appreciation’ for Trump’s action, which it said was ‘a direct result of President Cyril Ramaphosa and his government’s irresponsible actions and policies.’

It continued, ‘However, the civil rights organization and its sister institutions in the Solidarity Movement remain committed to Afrikaners’ future at the southern tip of Africa and insist that urgent solutions must therefore be found for the injustices committed by the South African government against Afrikaners and other cultural communities in the country.’

One of the more outspoken and extreme members of the government of national unity, Julius Malema, head of the South African minority party Economic Freedom Fighters, said on X, ‘In light of the aggression by the USA against South Africa, we must as a nation seriously consider strengthening ties with Russia, China and nations who belong to (the international trade body) BRICS to avoid unnecessary confrontations with maniacs such as Donald Trump.’

Malema has been taken to court on hate crime charges. In one instance, he sang the genocidal anti-apartheid struggle song ‘Kill the Boer, the farmer,’ referring to the White descendants of Dutch settlers or ‘Boers’ in South Africa.

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Speaker Johnson says House will match Trump’s pace as Democrats are left ‘flailing’

House Speaker Mike Johnson poked fun at ‘flailing’ Democrats on Sunday and vowed that the House of Representatives would be just as aggressive in pushing legislation as President Donald Trump has been with executive orders.

Johnson made the statement during an appearance on ‘Fox News Sunday’ with host Shannon Bream. Johnson said House Republicans are working to compile the massive legislative package Trump has requested.

‘We’re going to secure the border, we’re going to make sure that American communities are safe. We’re going to get American energy dominance going again in the economy and restore common sense,’ Johnson said.

‘But to do all that in one big bill takes a little bit of time. So we’re working through that process very productively. We’ve been building on this for a year, Shannon. All through last year, we had our committees of jurisdiction working on the ideas to put it together,’ he added.

‘We were going to do a budget committee markup next week. We might push it a little bit further because the details really matter. Remember that I have the smallest margin in history, about a two vote margin currently. So I’ve got to make sure everyone agrees before we bring the project forward, that final product, and we’ve got a few more boxes to check, but we’re getting very, very close,’ he continued.

The budget bill process has not been without its share of in-fighting, however. Republican spending hawks are pushing leaders to include at least $2.5 trillion in spending cuts in the massive legislative package.

One GOP lawmaker said that tension bubbled up in a closed-door meeting last week with several ‘heated exchanges,’ with conservatives demanding a concrete plan and minimum spending cuts at significantly higher levels than what was initially proposed.

‘I think there’s a lot of frustration right now,’ the lawmaker told Fox News Digital. ‘They’ve been trying to be inclusive, but not every open forum they’ve offered is giving members the ability to say, ‘I feel like people are listening to me,’ because I don’t know that’s the case right now.’

Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Ralph Norman, R-S.C., two conservative members of the House Budget Committee, both told reporters they wanted to see the baseline for spending cuts set at roughly $2.5 trillion.

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

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Trump signs proclamation declaring February 9 ‘Gulf of America Day’ ahead of Super Bowl: ‘Another big win’

President Donald Trump signed a proclamation declaring February 9th as ‘Gulf of America Day’ as he flew over the recently renamed body of water on his way to make history at Super Bowl LIX on Sunday afternoon. 

‘MOMENTS AGO ON AF1: President Trump signed a Proclamation declaring February 9th ‘Gulf of America Day’ while flying over the newly and appropriately named GULF OF AMERICA!’ White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced in a post on X.

‘Air Force One is currently in international waters, the first time in history flying over the recently renamed Gulf of America,’ the White House shared in a video on X, showing Trump signing the proclamation.

Trump signed the proclamation aboard Air Force 1, while traveling to Super Bowl LIX. He will be the first sitting president to ever attend a Super Bowl.

‘Today, I am very honored to recognize February 9, 2025, as the first ever Gulf of America Day,’ the proclamation read.

‘I took this action in part because, as stated in that Order, ‘[t]he area formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico has long been an integral asset to our once burgeoning Nation and has remained an indelible part of America.’

‘Today, I am making my first visit to the Gulf of America since its renaming,’ the proclamation continued. ‘As my Administration restores American pride in the history of American greatness, it is fitting and appropriate for our great Nation to come together and commemorate this momentous occasion and the renaming of the Gulf of America.’

Former North Dakota Gov. and current Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum also praised the president and celebrated the gulf’s official day.

‘It’s official! Congratulations @POTUS on the Gulf of America! Interior has implemented your instruction from the Executive Order on Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness,’ Burgum wrote.

‘Another big win for President Trump’s agenda to Make America Great Again.’

‘It’s official! Proclamation signed aboard Air Force 1 above the Gulf Of America!’ Trump’s son, Eric Trump, posted on X.

Trump announced his push for the name change during his first press conference as the 47th President of the United States of America.

‘We’re going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring. That covers a lot of territory,’ Trump previously said at his first news conference. ‘The Gulf of America. What a beautiful name. And it’s appropriate.’

The changes will apply to official federal documents and maps, though it is unclear whether the order also requires schools to use the new terminology.

Trump has also pushed to rename Alaska’s Mount Denali, pointing out that it was originally named after President William McKinley.

‘McKinley was a very good, maybe a great president,’ Trump said at a December rally. ‘They took his name off Mount McKinley, right? That’s what they do to people. Now, he was a great president, very good president. At a minimum, he was a very good businessman. He was a businessman, then a governor, very successful businessman.’

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report. 

Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com

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Trump says he has instructed US Treasury to stop minting new pennies: ‘This is so wasteful!’

President Donald Trump announced plans to put a stop to producing pennies, which cost more than their value to make.

‘For far too long, the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. ‘This is so wasteful! I have instructed my Secretary of the US Treasury to stop producing new pennies.’

He added, ‘Let’s rip the waste out of our great nation’s budget, even if it’s a penny at a time.’

This is the president’s latest move to reduce spending in the U.S. after taking office on Jan. 20.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is led by billionaire Elon Musk, posted on X last month that producing the penny is costing American taxpayers tens of millions of dollars, suggesting that it may be one of the items it may consider eliminating. 

Musk’s initiative, aimed at cutting $2 trillion in federal spending, didn’t directly state that the penny would be eliminated, but highlighted that it costs three times more to make than it’s actually worth.

According to the U.S. Mint, each penny costs 3.69 cents to produce in fiscal year 2024, costing taxpayers $119 million. This marked the 19th consecutive year in which production exceeded its face value. 

In the U.S., the penny was one of the first coins made by the U.S. Mint after its establishment in 1792. When it was first produced, the coin was larger and made of pure copper. Today’s smaller coin is made mostly of zinc, according to the U.S. Mint.

Fox News Digital’s Daniella Genovese contributed to this report.

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Trump 100% disagrees with federal judge’s ‘crazy’ ruling blocking DOGE from Treasury system

President Donald Trump ‘100 percent’ disagrees with a federal judge’s ruling on Saturday that bars the Department of Government Efficiency from accessing the Treasury Department, he said during an exclusive interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier. 

‘Nineteen states attorneys general filed a lawsuit, and early Saturday a judge agreed with them to restrict Elon Musk and his government efficiency team, DOGE, from accessing Treasury Department payment and data systems. They said there was a risk of ‘irreparable harm.’ What do you make of that? And does that slow you down and what you want to do?’ Baier asked Trump in the interview clip. 

‘No, I disagree with it 100%. I think it’s crazy. And we have to solve the efficiency problem. We have to solve the fraud, waste, abuse, all the things that have gone into the government. You take a look at the USAID, the kind of fraud in there,’ Trump responded. 

U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York Paul Engelmayer, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, issued a temporary restraining order Saturday that sided with 19 Democratic state attorneys general who claimed that giving DOGE ‘full access’ to the Treasury’s payment systems violates the law. The lawsuit was spearheaded by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

The judge’s sweeping order, issued Saturday, bars DOGE from accessing the Treasury system until at least Feb. 14, when Engelmayer scheduled a hearing to revisit the matter. 

The language of the order specifically bars ‘political appointees, special government employees, and any government employee detailed from an agency outside the Treasury Department access to Treasury Department payment systems or any other data maintained by the Treasury Department containing personally identifiable information.’ Trump, Secretary Scott Bessent and the U.S. Treasury are named as defendants in the case. 

Musk, Vice President JD Vance and other conservatives aligned with Trump have slammed the order. 

‘If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal. If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that’s also illegal. Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power,’ Vance posted to X on Sunday of the order. 

Trump spoke with Baier in an exclusive interview with Fox News ahead of the Super Bowl, which Trump will attend. The pair discussed the president’s long love of sports and football, as well as politics and DOGE. 

‘We’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars of money that’s going to places where it shouldn’t be going,’ Trump said when asked about what DOGE has found while auditing federal agencies in search of government overspending, fraud and corruption.

‘Where if I read a list, you’d say, this is ridiculous, and you’ve read the same list and there are many that you haven’t even seen, it’s crazy. It’s a big scam. Now there’s some good money and we can do that through, any one of a number. I think I’d rather give it to Marco Rubio over at the State Department. Let him take care of the few good ones. So, I don’t know if it’s kickbacks or what’s going on, but the people. Look, I ran on this, and the people want me to find it. And I’ve had a great help with Elon Musk, who’s been terrific,’ he continued. 

Baier also asked Trump about his recent comments about Canada becoming the U.S.’ 51st state and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeay saying last week that Trump’s desire to acquire the nation is a ‘a real thing.’ 

‘Yeah, it is,’ Trump said when asked about Trudeau’s remark. ‘I think Canada would be much better off being a 51st state because we lose $200 billion a year with Canada, and I’m not going to let that happen. It’s too much. Why are we paying $200 billion a year essentially in subsidy to Canada? Now, if they’re our 51st state, I don’t mind doing it.’

Trump will spend his Sunday evening in New Orleans, where the Chiefs and Eagles will face off in the Super Bowl. Trump is expected to return to the White House on Sunday evening following the game. 

Baier’s full interview with Trump will air Monday during ‘Special Report with Bret Baier.’

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Trump’s fourth week in office could include meeting with Zelenskyy, ironing out steel deal

President Donald Trump kicked off his fourth week in office by attending the Super Bowl in what is expected to be another action-packed work week that could include a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

Trump will land back in Washington, D.C., late Sunday evening after attending the Super Bowl and spending the weekend at Mar-A-Lago. The 47th president hinted that he could hold his first meeting with Zelenskyy since his Jan. 20 inauguration later this week to discuss the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. 

‘[Zelenskyy] may meet next week, yeah. Whenever he would like. I’m here,’ Trump told reporters while hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday. 

Trump has already met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose nation is in the midst of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas following more than a year of war, and has vowed to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, leading to hundreds of thousands of deaths for both nations as war continues. 

‘I will probably be meeting with President Zelenskyy next week. And I’ve… I will probably be talking to President Putin. I’d like to see that war end for one primary reason: They’re killing so many people,’ Trump said during the press conference on Friday. 

Trump last met with Zelenskyy when he was president-elect in December during a trip to Paris ahead of the Notre Dame Cathedral reopening after a fire ripped through the Catholic church in 2019. 

‘You have 8 or 900,000 Russian soldiers are dead, and very badly wounded. And the same thing with Ukraine, you have probably 700,000 with Ukraine. The numbers they gave are a little bit lower than that. But I believe those numbers aren’t correct. I’d like to see it just on a human basis. It’s terrible what’s going on,’ Trump added of the ongoing war during his comments Friday. 

Trump confirmed to the New York Post on Friday that he has spoken to Vladimir Putin as the war continues, but did not divulge many details beyond that Putin ‘wants to see people stop dying.’

Trump suggested earlier last week that Ukraine should strike a deal with the U.S. to provide crucial minerals – such as titanium, lithium, graphite and uranium – in exchange for military aid. 

‘We’re putting in hundreds of billions of dollars. They have great rare earths. And I want security of the rare earth, and they’re willing to do [that],’ Trump told reporters at the White House last Monday. 

Zelenskyy told the media a day later that he is open to an ‘investment’ from ‘partners who help us defend our land and push the enemy back with their weapons, their presence, and sanctions packages.’ 

‘And this is absolutely fair,’ he added. 

Trump is also expected to meet with the CEO of Nippon Steel this week, which is Japan’s largest steel company. The Biden administration had blocked a nearly $15 billion deal for the Japanese company to buy the American steelmaker, U.S. Steel, with Trump previewing last week that Nippon is now looking to invest in U.S. Steel as opposed to purchasing it. 

Nippon Steel ‘is going to be doing something very exciting about U.S. Steel,’ Trump said on Friday. ‘They’ll be looking at an investment rather than a purchase.’

‘Very great company and they’ll work out the details,’ Trump said of Nippon, mistakenly referring to it as ‘Nissan,’ a Japanese car company on first reference. ‘I’ll help. I’ll be there to mediate and arbitrate.’

The president is in the midst of leveraging tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China to bolster border security, end illegal immigration and stem the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. Trump previewed on Friday that this week will include him announcing ‘reciprocal trade’ tariffs on other nations, as opposed to a flat 10% or 20% tariff on other nations, as he has previously threatened. 

‘I’ll be announcing that next week, reciprocal trade, so that we’re treated evenly with other countries,’ he told reporters on Friday, saying the announcement should come by Monday or Tuesday. ‘We don’t want any more, any less.’

‘I think that’s the only fair way to do it that way nobody’s hurt,’ the president continued. ‘They charge us, we charge them. It’s the same thing, and I seem to be going in that line as opposed to a flat fee tariff.’

In addition to anticipated foreign relations and international trade announcements and meetings, Trump’s administration is expected to continue its investigations of the federal government’s various agencies as part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s quest to suss out internal corruption and government overspending. 

Trump’s schedule for the week was not yet released as of Sunday afternoon, beyond attending the Super Bowl before flying back to the White House late Sunday evening. 

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this article. 

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Trump remains committed to US owning Gaza, says Middle East states could help rebuild war-torn area

U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that he remains committed to the U.S. purchasing and owning Gaza, but that he may allow Middle Eastern countries to rebuild sections of the area ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war.

Trump made the comment when speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to New Orleans for the Super Bowl.

‘I’m committed to buying and owning Gaza,’ Trump said. ‘As far as us rebuilding it, we may give it to other states in the Middle East to build sections of it, other people may do it, through our auspices. But we’re committed to owning it, taking it, and making sure that Hamas doesn’t move back.’

‘There’s nothing to move back into. The place is a demolition site. The remainder will be demolished. Everything’s demolished,’ he said.

The president also said he was open to the possibility of allowing some Palestinian refugees into the U.S. but that those requests would be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Trump said last week at a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he wants the U.S. to take over Gaza after Palestinians are resettled in other countries.

‘The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,’ Trump said at the time. ‘We’ll own it and be responsible for dismantling all of the dangerous, unexplored bombs and other weapons on the site.’

‘Level the site and get rid of the destroyed buildings, level it out, create an economic development that will supply unlimited numbers of jobs and housing for the people of the area,’ he added. ‘Do a real job. Do something different. Just can’t go back. If you go back, it’s going to end up the same way it has for 100 years.’

Several countries have criticized Trump’s comments about taking over Gaza, which was bombarded by Israeli forces in the conflict sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack against the Jewish State.

Trump also said on Jan. 25 that he wanted Jordan, Egypt and other Arab nations to accept more Palestinian refugees from Gaza, potentially moving out enough people to ‘just clean out’ the area.

‘You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing and say, ‘You know, it’s over,” he said at the time.

Palestinians feared during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, which is now under a ceasefire, that they would suffer from another ‘Nakba,’ meaning catastrophe in Arabic, which refers to the displacement and dispossession of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians during the 1948 war at the birth of the State of Israel.

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo when asked about Trump’s plan to take over Gaza that the U.S. president was slated to meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and possibly Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

‘President Trump is due to meet with major, major Arab leaders, first and foremost the king of Jordan and the president of Egypt and I think also the crown prince of Saudi Arabia as well,’ Herzog said.

‘These are partners that must be listened to, they must be discussed with. We have to honor their feelings as well and see how we build a plan that is sustainable for the future,’ he added.

Saudi Arabia is among the many countries that have rejected Trump’s plan to take over Gaza. Jordan’s King Abdullah II reportedly plans to tell Trump during their scheduled meeting on Tuesday that the proposal is a recipe for radicalism that will spread chaos throughout the Middle East and put at risk the kingdom’s peace with Israel.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Trump freezes aid to South Africa over controversial land law, claiming discrimination against White farmers

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday aimed at freezing assistance to South Africa over a controversial law that allows the government to seize farmland from ethnic minorities — namely White farmers — without compensation, as well as the country’s stance against Israel and its war in Gaza.

Trump said in the order the United States would no longer support South Africa with foreign aid if such policies, which he claims highlight a “shocking disregard for its citizens” and amount to “human rights violations,” continue, ordering US agencies to stop providing any aid to South Africa unless deemed necessary.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has previously denied that South African authorities were “confiscating land” and said his country was looking forward to working with the Trump administration “over our land reform policy.”

Trump’s order also directs the United States to assist Afrikaners — an ethnic group descended from European settlers — who are fleeing South Africa due to discrimination, including helping them resettle through refugee programs.

“It is the policy of the United States that, as long as South Africa continues these unjust and immoral practices that harm our Nation, the United States shall not provide aid or assistance to South Africa; and the United States shall promote the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination, including racially discriminatory property confiscation,” read the order.

South Africa’s foreign ministry called the order a “great concern” and said it “(lacked) factual accuracy and fails to recognize South Africa’s profound and painful history of colonialism and apartheid,” adding that the move seemed “to be a campaign of misinformation and propaganda aimed at misrepresenting our great nation.”

“It is ironic that the executive order makes provision for refugee status in the US for a group in South Africa that remains amongst the most economically privileged, while vulnerable people in the US from other parts of the world are being deported and denied asylum despite real hardship,” the foreign ministry added in a statement Saturday.

In the past, racist policies forcefully removed Black and non-White South Africans from land for White people to use. There has been a land redistribution and restitution provision in the country’s constitution since South Africa emerged from its apartheid era and held its first democratic elections in 1994.

Unemployment and poverty, however, remain acute among Black South Africans, who make up around 80% of the population, yet own a fraction of the land. In January, Ramaphosa signed a bill into law that sets forth new guidelines for land expropriation, including enabling the government to expropriate land without compensation in some cases.

According to the US Foreign Assistance website, the country said it would send nearly $440 million in assistance to South Africa in 2023, including more than $270 million just from the Agency for International Development (USAID).

The executive order comes as the Trump administration has already frozen almost all foreign assistance and made moves to dismantle USAID.

Trump also said in his order that South Africa had taken an aggressive stance against the United States and its allies through its position on Israel and reinvigorating ties with Iran.

South Africa accused Israel of committing genocide in an unprecedented case at the United Nations’ top court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ). It said Israel’s leadership was “intent on destroying the Palestinians in Gaza” and called for the court to order a halt to Israel’s military campaign in the enclave.

Trump has previously said he would halt funding until there was a full investigation into allegations that “South Africa is confiscating land and treating certain classes of people very badly,” without citing evidence.

Ramaphosa also spoke to Trump’s “first buddy” and South African-born Elon Musk earlier this week “on issues of misinformation and distortions about South Africa,” emphasizing South Africa’s constitutionally embedded values of the respect for the rule of law, justice, fairness and equality,” a government statement at the time read.

During his annual state of the nation address, Ramaphosa said South Africa “will not be deterred.”

“We are, as South Africans, a resilient people, and we will not be bullied,” he said.

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Freed Israeli hostages did not know their loved ones had died

For the Israeli hostages freed Saturday, the suffering did not end when Hamas militants paraded their frail and gaunt figures on a stage in Gaza ahead of their release to the Red Cross.

Only later, after the freed men arrived back on home soil, would two of them discover that some of the loved ones they had hoped to see again were already dead.

During their stage-managed appearance at the hands of Hamas, one of the Israeli hostages, Eli Sharabi, told the crowd – clearly speaking under duress – that he hoped to see his wife Lianne and daughters Noiya and Yahel.

All three were killed in Kibbutz Be’eri during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7 – but it was only on his return to Israel that Sharabi learnt their fate, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

Sharabi did appear to know, however, that his brother Yossi – who was also taken hostage by Hamas – had subsequently died in Gaza, where according to the Israeli military his body remains.

Both men and their families had lived at the kibbutz, where more than 100 people were killed during the October 7 attacks. Sharabi’s niece has previously spoken of how close the two families were.

‘He did not know’

Another of the hostages released Saturday, Or Levy, had suspected that his wife Einav had died but had not known for sure as he had no access to media during his time in captivity, his mother Geula Levy said.

Levy, 34, was attending the Nova music festival on October 7 when he was kidnapped. His wife Einav was killed in the attack.

Levy’s mother said he had asked about his wife while in Sheba Hospital following his release.

“He did not know. He assumed, and asked, and we told him,” she told Israel’s public broadcaster Kann 11 News.

Released Israeli hostage Or Levy reunites with son Almog at Sheba Hospital on Saturday.
Levy Family/Hostages and Missing Families Forum

While in the hospital, Levy reunited with his son, who was only 2 years old when his father was taken hostage.

The father and son came together “as if nothing had happened,” Geula Levy said.

Levy’s family issued a statement following his release, celebrating his return while also mourning the death of Einav.

“Her loss has left an enormous void in all our hearts,” they said.

‘Let’s get it done’

The treatment of Sharabi, Levy and Ohad Ben Ami while they were in captivity, and the realization they did not know of their loved ones’ fate, has already galvanized one hostage family to use the moment to call for more action now.

On Saturday, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American murdered by Hamas militants in Gaza in August, urged US President Donald Trump and his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to push for the release of all hostages held in Gaza “this week,” dismissing the multi-staged approach to the ceasefire deal agreed by Israel and Hamas.

“Our plea to you (Trump and Witkoff) right now is, now that you’ve done the hard part of getting movement, getting a deal started, let’s not think about phase one and phase two and phase three and many months,” Jon Goldberg-Polin said in video. “Let’s think bigger and faster.”

“All 76 hostages out this week. End of war. Who benefits from dragging it out for so long? Not the people of this region. Let’s get it done right now,” he said.

A total of 33 Israeli hostages are expected to be released as part of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, which went into force on January 19 and is supposed to last six weeks. Following the release of the three hostages on Saturday, Hamas and its allies still hold a total of 73 people taken from Israel on October 7, 2023, and an additional three held since before then. Negotiations on the second and third phases are not yet believed to have begun in earnest.

Hersh Goldberg-Polin was kidnapped at the same time as Levy. Both had tried to hide in a bomb shelter before they were caught and taken to Gaza in the back of a pickup truck.

The Goldberg-Polins said their appeal was driven by seeing the condition of the three hostages released Saturday, and “hearing that Or (Levy) had no idea what happened to Hersh, hearing that Eli (Sharabi) was unaware his daughters and wife had been murdered.”

They said they remained close with Levy’s family and that following his release one of Levy’s first questions was how Hersh was doing, completely unaware that he’d been killed.

“He assumed that he had been released long ago,” Rachel Goldberg-Polin said.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

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