"Trump: ‘I am sending troops to South Africa and they will not leave until the killing stop and the land issue resolved.’ "
Stand up for the facts!
Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.
I would like to contribute
No, Donald Trump isn’t sending troops into South Africa
President Donald Trump isn’t sending troops into South Africa. That’s a made-up story surfacing on the internet.
"TRUMP blast again: ‘I am sending troops to South Africa and they will not leave until the killing stop and the land issue resolved,’ " a headline on a blog reads.
This story was flagged as part Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
The post includes a screenshot of a post by the Facebook page Donald Trump Quotes. We were unable to locate the original post on their page. Either way, the page is not an official communication channel for Trump.
We found no announcement of the sort as we scrolled through Trump’s tweets, Facebook posts and White House accounts, as well as Defense Department press releases.
Sign up for PolitiFact texts
Trump did, however, tweet that he had asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to look into a situation with farmers in South Africa.
"I have asked Secretary of State @SecPompeo to closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures and expropriations and the large scale killing of farmers," Trump tweeted on Aug. 22.
Featured Fact-check
Trump seemed to be quoting a report by Fox News’ Tucker Carlson. He’s talking about a legal battle over land rights unfolding in South Africa. There are very few actual statistics that show racially based farm violence. The last time our colleagues Africa Check fact-checked farm murders in 2017, they found 57.
It isn’t true that Trump is sending troops to South Africa. He never said that.
We rate this statement Pants on Fire!
PolitiFact Rating: 
Our Sources
HINNEWS, TRUMP blast again: "I am sending troops to South Africa and they will not leave until the killing stop and the land issue resolved’, Aug. 24, 2018
Twitter, @realDonaldTrump, Aug. 22, 2018
Africa Check, FACTSHEET: Statistics on farm attacks & murders in SA, May 8, 2017
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Manuela Tobias
No, Donald Trump isn’t sending troops into South Africa
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.