Donald Trump says US officials to boycott G20 summit in South Africa over treatment of white farmers

President Donald Trump on Friday said that no US government officials would attend the Group of 20 summit in South Africa later this month, citing concerns over Pretoria’s treatment of white farmers.

Trump had previously announced he would not participate in the Nov. 22–23 meeting of leaders from major and emerging economies, and Vice President JD Vance had been expected to attend in his place. However, a person familiar with Vance’s plans, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he will no longer travel to South Africa for the summit.

“It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, accusing the country of committing “abuses” against white Afrikaners, including land seizures and violent attacks.

The Trump administration has repeatedly criticised the South African government, alleging that it allows discrimination and violence against minority white farmers. Earlier this year, the administration announced it would prioritise white South Africans in its sharply reduced annual refugee intake of 7,500.

South African officials have rejected Trump’s claims, saying white citizens continue to enjoy higher living standards than most Black South Africans more than three decades after the end of apartheid. President Cyril Ramaphosa has said he told Trump that reports of systematic persecution of white farmers are “completely false.”

Despite the diplomatic friction, Trump has continued to press his criticism. In a speech earlier this week in Miami, he said South Africa should be removed from the G20.

In February, Secretary of State Marco Rubio boycotted a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting, objecting to an agenda that focused on diversity, inclusion, and climate change.

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With inputs from Associated Press

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