Peter Doocy nailed the Trump administration’s foreign policy approach with just one unexpected comparison.
The seasoned White House correspondent left viewers stunned with his candid assessment.
And Peter Doocy described Trump’s meeting with South Africa’s president in one jaw-dropping way.
Trump turns Oval Office into darkened theater for foreign leader
President Donald Trump hosted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for what turned into one of the most unusual Oval Office meetings in recent memory.
In a shocking departure from diplomatic norms, Trump dimmed the lights in the Oval Office and forced Ramaphosa and his delegation to watch videos depicting violence against white farmers in South Africa.
Donald Trump playing video footage of South Africa’s black party singing “kill the Boer (Whites), kill the White farmer” in front of the South African president in the Oval Office.
South African president is very uncomfortable. pic.twitter.com/gTe0MqV2Q8
— Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) May 21, 2025
Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy witnessed the entire spectacle firsthand and delivered a brutally honest assessment that perfectly captured Trump’s unconventional approach to diplomacy.
‘Stop being polite and start getting real’ – Doocy’s shocking take on Trump diplomacy
“When you watch that, it seems like the Trump foreign policy doctrine is a lot like the old slogan for the MTV show The Real World, where people stop being polite and start getting real,” Doocy told Fox News hosts Sandra Smith and Trace Gallagher. “And that’s what we just saw from President Trump.”
The extraordinary meeting lasted over an hour, with Trump transforming the historic Oval Office into something resembling a darkened movie theater.
“I didn’t even know that you could dim the lights in the Oval Office, which is decades old. Seems like a place that would just have an on or off switch,” Doocy remarked, highlighting just how unusual the setup was.
Trump presented his multimedia display after Ramaphosa claimed there was no genocide happening in South Africa.
🚨 JUST SHOWN IN THE OVAL OFFICE: Proof of Persecution in South Africa. pic.twitter.com/rER1l8sqAU
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 21, 2025
“President Trump basically said, okay, well then what’s all of this? And he showed political leaders and opposition leaders in South Africa saying some very heinous and violent things for several minutes,” Doocy explained. “And he just made the South African president and the rest of the South African delegation sit there in the half-dark room and watch it.”
The tense confrontation echoed another uncomfortable diplomatic moment from Trump’s previous administration.
“It’s worth pointing out, that is definitely the most awkward Oval Office meeting since Zelensky was here,” Doocy noted, referring to Trump’s notorious meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Despite the uncomfortable atmosphere, Trump still attempted to conduct routine diplomatic business after the video presentation.
“Afterwards, President Trump did want to talk a little bit about trade and his visiting, famous Galbraith friends from South Africa got to speak as well,” Doocy reported.
Though the meeting was undeniably uncomfortable, the South African delegation didn’t cut their visit short.
“It ended a little bit better because I can see the vehicle, it is not leaving, the South African delegation is not leaving early, they will be sticking around for lunch,” Doocy observed.
Trump told reporters that despite the powerful presentation he ordered his staff to prepare, he hasn’t “made up his mind yet about whether or not there’s genocide happening” – a claim the South African delegation “strenuously denies.”
The meeting highlighted Trump’s willingness to abandon diplomatic niceties in favor of confrontational tactics – an approach that’s become a hallmark of his foreign policy strategy.
His Real World style of international relations represents a stark departure from the more carefully orchestrated diplomatic engagements of previous administrations. Trump prefers direct confrontation to polite disagreement, even if it creates uncomfortable moments with visiting heads of state.
During the same meeting, Trump also emphasized how important it was for South Africa to “look good” at the upcoming G20 summit while simultaneously displaying articles about deaths in the country, further underscoring his unconventional approach to international diplomacy.
This approach may shock traditional diplomats, but it aligns perfectly with Trump’s long-standing promise to conduct foreign policy differently than his predecessors.
