Daijiworld Media Network - Washington

Washington, Nov 8: US President Donald Trump has declared that no American government officials will attend this year’s G20 summit in South Africa, accusing the host nation of human rights violations against its minority white farming community.

Calling the decision a matter of “principle,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, “It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa. Afrikaners are being killed and their land illegally taken. No U.S. government official will attend until these abuses stop. I look forward to hosting the 2026 G20 in Miami, Florida!”

The move marks an unusually sharp diplomatic snub, as the U.S. rarely boycotts major international forums like the G20, which brings together the world’s leading and emerging economies.

A New Low in U.S.–South Africa Relations

The boycott highlights growing tensions between Washington and Pretoria. The South African government has consistently denied U.S. allegations of discrimination, with President Cyril Ramaphosa previously telling Trump that claims of widespread attacks on white farmers were “completely false.”

Despite these assurances, Trump has continued to accuse South Africa of “systematic mistreatment” of Afrikaners, a group descended from Dutch, French, and German settlers. Earlier this week, during an event in Miami, he went so far as to say South Africa should be “thrown out of the G20.”

Broader Policy Shift

This latest decision follows a similar move earlier in the year when U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio skipped a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting, criticizing the forum’s focus on diversity, inclusion, and climate change.

South Africa currently holds the rotating G20 presidency, with the United States set to assume leadership next year. The 2025 G20 summit is scheduled for November 22–23 in Johannesburg, where world leaders will discuss global economic recovery, energy transition, and development cooperation.

Despite Washington’s absence, the summit is expected to proceed as planned—underscoring a widening diplomatic divide between the United States and South Africa under the Trump administration.