Trump Says No U.S. Officials Will Attend G20 Summit in South Africa

President Donald Trump has announced that no U.S. government officials will attend the upcoming G20 summit in South Africa, reiterating discredited claims that white Afrikaners are being systematically “killed and slaughtered” in the country.

Trump had previously stated in September that Vice President JD Vance would represent the United States at the meeting later this month. However, in a post on his Truth Social platform, he declared that Washington would boycott the summit entirely.

“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 U.S. president alleged that Afrikaners descendants of early European settlers “are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated.”

Trump added that he looks forward to hosting the 2026 G20 summit in the United States, which he plans to hold at his own golf resort in Miami, Florida a decision already stirring controversy.

Since returning to office in January, Trump has repeatedly targeted South Africa, amplifying false claims of a “white genocide.” Earlier this year, he reportedly confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office, showing him a video alleging that the post-apartheid government was persecuting white farmers a claim the South African government has firmly denied.

Last week, Trump’s administration announced plans to slash the annual refugee cap to a record low of 7,500, while giving priority to white South Africans seeking resettlement.

Relations between Washington and Pretoria have also deteriorated over several issues, including South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice accusing it of genocide in Gaza. The Trump administration has since imposed a 30-percent tariff on South African goods the highest in sub-Saharan Africa.

(AFP)