Malema: Trump is ‘the naked face US imperialism,’ warns of possible election interference

US president Donald Trump is “the naked face of what the USA has always been – violent, imperialist and evil”, according to EFF leader Julius Malema, who has warned South Africa against possible US meddling in its elections.

Malema made the remarks on Friday while delivering his opening address at the party’s second plenum in Boksburg.

Malema has been at odds with Trump over his continued singing of “Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer,” which Trump says incites violence against white farmers, a claim denied by the South African government.

He said those who argue that Marxism and Leninism are outdated are now confronted by what he called the fulfilment of their predictions: the rise of imperialism as the highest stage of capitalism.

“The Western capitalist world is beginning to eat itself alive, and the anchor that will destroy Western society is the very nation that has been the most aggressive in its capitalism – the USA,” Malema said.

“As capitalism collapses, there is a growing sense that we are returning to an age of colonialism and domination through military strength, rather than cooperation and consensus. The stage we are in is what Lenin refers to as the final stage of capitalism’s destiny of crisis and collapse.”

He said the United States is pursuing the territorial division of the world in order to control global markets and give multinational corporations greater influence over natural resources.

“It is a nation led by a paranoid and possibly mentally ill individual who has no regard for international law, the logic of the economy or the science of politics,” he said.

“As a result, we are all faced with a crisis because for too long capitalism has been the dominant economic order of the world. As socialists, it is our duty at this moment to see the silver lining. As capitalism collapses, we are given an opportunity to usher in a new world order based on equality, prosperity for all and the return of the means of production to the hands of the people.”

Malema urged supporters not to despair but to mobilise resistance and solidarity.

“This new era is one where the USA no longer exists as the so-called leader of the free world,” he said. “It is an era where humanity must speak boldly against the presence of US military bases in foreign countries.

“It is an era where we must divorce the global economy from dependency on the dollar. It is an era where technological advancement and military capacity must be built by all nations so that we can defend ourselves against the threat of US imperialism.”

Malema said Trump represents tyranny and fascism but is not a departure from the core character of the United States.

“The USA has always been imperialistic. The USA has always been a destabilising force in the world. What has changed is that the leader of the USA today pursues these destructive policies openly and without pretending to seek peace,” he said.

“Donald Trump is the naked face of what the USA has always been – violent, imperialist and evil.”

He claimed former US presidents, including Harry Truman, authorised the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing more than 200,000 people, and Lyndon Johnson, under whose administration the Vietnam War escalated.

He also accused former president George W Bush of leading a disinformation campaign about weapons of mass destruction to justify wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and former president Barack Obama of orchestrating the killing of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

“Till today Libya has not recovered, and our African brothers are sold into a slave trade in that region,” Malema said.

He argued that Trump was continuing a long-standing tradition of US foreign policy rooted in violence.

“When Trump invades Venezuela and kidnaps Nicolas Maduro, when Trump bombs Nigeria, bombs Iran and funds the genocide of the people of Palestine by Israel, he is continuing US policy of violence as a means to entrench US imperialism,” he said.

Malema said expectations that relations between South Africa and the US would stabilise after Trump’s term were misplaced.

“Trump is an extension of a history of destructive US foreign policy, and as long as South Africa stands with Palestine, we will never know peace,” he said.

He warned that the Trump administration had vested interests in South Africa that could undermine the country’s sovereignty and called on the government to guard against foreign influence.

“It is important to be aware of this as we head to local government elections and to be alert to the possibility of US interference – whether through funding ideological opponents, fracturing our democracy along tribal lines, or pursuing the imprisonment of leaders of the left,” Malema said.

South Africa is expected to hold local government elections in late 2026.

“This election will not be purely domestic, especially considering the propaganda machinery deployed against South Africa over a non-existent white genocide,” he said.

Malema said the country must prepare for the worst, accusing the US of seeking to punish South Africa for its stance against what he called “apartheid Israel”.

“We must never surrender, even in the face of imprisonment or death,” he said.

“We must never be shaken, and we must never compromise our sovereignty to please the United States of America.”

IOL Politics