The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has claimed that Washington deliberately stayed away from the 2025 G20 summit in Johannesburg because of what he called “horrific Human Right Abuses” in South Africa. In a strongly worded statement posted on X shortly after world leaders wrapped up the two‑day meeting, Trump warned that South Africa would face immediate consequences, a move that has fueled concerns over escalating diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
Explaining why the US delegation was absent, Trump wrote: “The United States did not attend the G20 in South Africa, because the South African Government refuses to acknowledge or address the horrific Human Right Abuses endured by Afrikaners, and other descendants of Dutch, French, and German settlers.” He alleged that white farmers and their communities face constant threats to life and property, adding, “To put it more bluntly, they are killing white people, and randomly allowing their farms to be taken from them.”
He further accused major American media outlets of deliberately ignoring what he characterised as a “genocide” He said, “Perhaps, worst of all, the soon to be out of business New York Times and the Fake News Media won’t issue a word against this genocide. That’s why all the Liars and Pretenders of the Radical Left Media are going out of business!”
Trump also claimed that South African officials showed disrespect to the United States at the summit. “At the conclusion of the G20, South Africa refused to hand off the G20 Presidency to a Senior Representative from our U.S. Embassy, who attended the Closing Ceremony,” he wrote, framing the incident as a deliberate snub.
He then announced that South Africa would be barred from the next gathering: “Therefore, at my direction, South Africa will NOT be receiving an invitation to the 2026 G20, which will be hosted in the Great City of Miami, Florida next year.”
In addition to the diplomatic fallout, Trump declared that Washington would immediately cut financial assistance to Pretoria. “South Africa has demonstrated to the World they are not a country worthy of Membership anywhere, and we are going to stop all payments and subsidies to them, effective immediately,” he said, ending his statement with, “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The 2025 G20 Johannesburg Summit, held from 22 to 23 November at the Johannesburg Expo Centre (NASREC), was the first G20 leaders’ meeting ever hosted on African soil. Under the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability,” South Africa used its presidency to emphasise multilateral cooperation, climate action, debt relief, and development priorities for the Global South. The summit concluded with a leaders’ declaration committing members to sustainable economic growth, climate resilience and global development—adopted despite the US boycott.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, who chaired the summit, formally closed proceedings and handed over the G20 presidency, dismissing claims that protocol had been breached and describing the meeting as a success for multilateral engagement. South Africa later called the US decision to stay away “regrettable,” but insisted that the outcomes of the Johannesburg summit showed the G20’s ability to continue tackling global challenges even in the absence of one of its most powerful members.
