Trump Announces US Boycott of G20 Summit in South Africa over Alleged Persecution of White Farmers
WASHINGTON D.C. – Former President Donald Trump announced Friday that the United States will not send government officials to the upcoming G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, citing alleged “Human Rights abuses” against white South African farmers. The decision escalates tensions between Washington and Pretoria,already strained by disagreements over trade,human rights,and South Africa’s relationships with Russia and China.
The move follows the Trump administration’s recent announcement of a drastically reduced refugee cap of 7,500 for the 2026 fiscal year, with a significant portion of those admissions prioritized for white South Africans and “other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands,” according to a notice published thursday in the Federal Register. This represents a sharp decrease from the Biden administration’s previous ceiling of 125,000 refugees. The notice offered no specific rationale for the reduction, stating only that the limit was “justified by humanitarian concerns or is or else in the national interest.”
Trump has repeatedly claimed the South African government is actively persecuting its white citizens, particularly farmers. During a May visit to the White House, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was shown a video outlining these claims, which he vehemently denied.
“It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Afrikaners (People who are descended from Dutch settlers, and also French and German immigrants) are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated. No U.S. Government Official will attend provided that these Human Rights abuses continue. I look forward to hosting the 2026 G20 in Miami, Florida!”
Responding to Trump’s announcement, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Chrispin Phiri told Newsweek, “Drawing on our own journey from racial and ethnic division to democracy, South Africa is uniquely positioned to champion within the G20 a future of genuine solidarity, where shared prosperity bridges deep inequalities, and collective action for sustainability that centers the growth to address the impact of colonialism of the African continent.”
The G20 summit is scheduled to take place later this month in Johannesburg. The decision to boycott the summit underscores growing friction between the two nations, which have also clashed over trade issues.
