The diplomatic relationship between the United States and South Africa has plunged to a new low after President Donald Trump announced on November 27, 2025, that South Africa would not be invited to any G20 events hosted by the U.S. in 2026. The decision, which Trump made public through a post on his Truth Social platform, marks the first time in the G20’s twenty-year history that a member nation has been excluded from the meetings of the world’s largest economies. The 2026 G20 summit is scheduled to take place in Miami, Florida, at Trump’s own golf resort in Doral, a detail that has not gone unnoticed by international observers.
Trump’s announcement was accompanied by a declaration that the United States would halt “all payments and subsidies” to South Africa effective immediately. According to Business Today, Trump accused South Africa of “horrific Human Rights Abuses” against white farmers, repeating claims that South African authorities and Afrikaner leaders have consistently rejected as unfounded and rooted in misinformation. “They are killing white people and randomly allowing their farms to be taken from them,” Trump wrote, further alleging that mainstream media organizations were ignoring what he called “genocide.”
The immediate spark for this latest diplomatic rift was a dispute at the conclusion of the 2025 G20 summit in Johannesburg. Traditionally, the host country hands over a ceremonial wooden gavel to the incoming G20 presidency. However, with the United States refusing to send a senior official to the meeting—having boycotted the summit entirely—South Africa declined to hand the gavel to a junior U.S. embassy representative. Trump called this decision an insult, claiming South Africa “refused to hand off the G20 Presidency to a Senior Representative from our US Embassy.” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office, however, stated that the handover was completed at the headquarters of South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, meeting all diplomatic requirements after Washington skipped the summit.
South Africa’s presidency responded to Trump’s remarks with a strongly worded statement, denouncing the U.S. decision as “punitive,” “regrettable,” “misinformed,” and “demeaning.” According to Daily Times, the presidency asserted, “South Africa is a member of the G20 in its own name and right. Its G20 membership is at the behest of all other members. South Africa is a sovereign constitutional democratic country and does not appreciate insults from another country about its membership and worth in participating in global platforms.” The statement further emphasized that President Ramaphosa’s administration had made repeated efforts to restore constructive diplomatic relations with Washington, but that Trump “continues to apply punitive measures against South Africa based on misinformation and distortions.”
The U.S. boycott of the Johannesburg summit, which took place in late November 2025, was itself a dramatic move. The Trump administration cited what it called anti-American policies and alleged violence against white Afrikaners as the rationale for the boycott—claims that South Africa, along with independent researchers and Afrikaner groups, has repeatedly dismissed as baseless and driven by misinformation. According to Capital FM Kenya, South Africa’s government pointed to national crime data showing attacks on farmers—both white and Black—are part of broader rural insecurity and not evidence of targeted racial persecution. Prominent Afrikaner organizations have also rejected any assertion of systematic “genocide.”
The diplomatic spat has deepened over the course of 2025. In February, the U.S. suspended all aid to South Africa, again citing alleged discrimination against white farmers. A month later, Washington expelled the South African ambassador, declaring him persona non grata. In October, the Trump administration capped annual refugee admissions at 7,500, reserving most places for white South Africans—another move that Pretoria and international observers criticized as discriminatory and politically motivated.
The U.S. has also criticized South Africa’s diplomatic ties with China, Russia, and Iran, framing the country as moving against American interests. These grievances have been layered atop Trump’s repeated, and widely discredited, accusations of “white genocide.” As Business Today highlights, civil society organizations and rights groups have stressed that violent crime in South Africa affects citizens of all backgrounds and that land expropriation is tightly regulated and subject to constitutional review.
South Africa completed its G20 presidency in November 2025, focusing on infrastructure financing, priorities of the global South, and climate resilience. Despite the U.S. boycott, the summit was hailed by many participants as a major success, with leaders affirming the importance of multilateral cooperation. “South Africa will continue to participate as a full, active and constructive member of the G20,” the presidency said, calling on all members to reaffirm multilateralism and consensus. Pretoria signaled that it intends to continue participating in global governance structures regardless of Washington’s political posture. “South Africa … will never insult or demean another country,” the presidency added, emphasizing its commitment to constructive dialogue.
For its part, the Trump administration has shown little inclination to de-escalate. Trump’s public statements have repeatedly painted South Africa as a nation unworthy of G20 membership, going so far as to say, “South Africa has demonstrated to the World they are not a country worthy of Membership anywhere.” The administration’s decision to host the 2026 G20 summit at Trump’s own resort in Miami has also raised eyebrows, with South African officials accusing Trump of weaponizing the G20 presidency for political and personal gain.
The fallout from these actions is likely to reverberate well beyond next year’s summit. With the United States having formally taken over the G20 presidency on November 24, 2025, it remains unclear how the absence of South Africa—a key voice for the global South—will affect the group’s agenda in the year ahead. The U.S. refusal to sign the final declaration at the Johannesburg summit, which focused heavily on climate issues and priorities of developing nations, has already signaled a shift in the forum’s direction under American leadership.
As both sides dig in, the rift between Washington and Pretoria seems set to deepen further. South Africa’s government has called on the international community to uphold the principles of multilateralism, collaboration, and equality, while the Trump administration continues to press its case against Pretoria based on claims widely regarded as unfounded. The world will be watching closely as the G20 enters a turbulent new chapter—one marked by exclusion, sharp rhetoric, and a fundamental debate over the nature of global cooperation.
For now, the diplomatic standoff serves as a stark reminder of how quickly long-standing international partnerships can unravel in the face of political discord and misinformation.
