United States President Donald Trump has announced that no American government official will attend the upcoming G20 Summit scheduled to take place in South Africa later this month.
Trump, who made the announcement on his Truth Social account, claimed the decision was in protest against what he described as human rights abuses in the country, repeating discredited claims that white Afrikaners were being “killed and slaughtered” and their lands “illegally confiscated.”
“It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa,” Trump wrote. “No U.S. Government Official will attend as long as these human rights abuses continue.”
The president had earlier said Vice President JD Vance would represent the U.S. at the November 22–23 summit but reversed the decision, saying no delegation would attend. He added that he looked forward to hosting the 2026 G20 summit in the U.S., which is expected to take place at his golf resort in Miami, Florida.
Reacting, South Africa’s Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation described Trump’s remarks as “regrettable,” insisting that the characterisation of Afrikaners as an exclusively white and persecuted group was “ahistorical and not substantiated by fact.”
“South Africa’s focus remains on its positive global contributions,” the ministry said in a statement. “Drawing on our journey from racial and ethnic division to democracy, our nation is uniquely positioned to champion within the G20 a future of genuine solidarity.”
Relations between Washington and Pretoria have been tense in recent months over issues including South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and U.S. tariffs of up to 30 percent imposed on South African goods.
Trump, who returned to the White House in January, has repeatedly accused South Africa’s post-apartheid government of targeting white farmers a claim widely dismissed as false.
