No American officials will attend the G20 in South Africa, Trump says

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that no American officials will attend the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) summit in South Africa, accusing the host nation of committing “human rights abuses”, a claim South Africa has strongly rejected as baseless.

The announcement follows Trump’s earlier call this week for South Africa to be expelled from the G20. Pretoria has dismissed the remarks, saying preparations for the summit remain on track.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said it was a “disgrace” that the global summit would be held in South Africa, citing unverified reports of violence against white Afrikaner farmers. “Afrikaners are being killed and their farms are being illegally confiscated,” Trump wrote.

“No U.S. Government Official will attend as long as these Human Rights abuses continue. I look forward to hosting the 2026 G20 in Miami, Florida!” Trump said.

Vice President JD Vance, who had been slated to represent Washington at the Johannesburg gathering on November 22–23, will now skip the event.

South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) called Trump’s remarks “regrettable,” reaffirming the government’s position that claims of racial persecution in the country are unfounded.

Trump’s remarks mark the latest in a series of criticisms directed at South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised economy, over its land reform agenda and its diplomatic stance on the Gaza war, including Pretoria’s case at the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide.

Earlier this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also skipped a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in South Africa, which assumed the G20 presidency in December 2024. The United States will take over the rotating leadership in 2026.

South Africa has been a member of the G20 since its inception in 1999, when the group was established following the Asian financial crisis to strengthen global financial stability.

Canada and the United States were instrumental in supporting the country’s inclusion to ensure Africa was represented within the group. Then, U.S. President Bill Clinton and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien were key advocates for expanding the forum beyond industrialised nations.

South Africa’s membership was also supported by other G7 countries seeking a diverse, globally representative mix of emerging economies alongside Brazil, India, China, and Mexico.