The US President’s remarks mark a new low in bilateral relations, casting a shadow over South Africa’s historic G20 presidency and its upcoming Johannesburg summit.
JOHANNESBURG – In a stunning verbal assault, US President Donald Trump has declared that South Africa “shouldn’t even be in the G’s anymore” and confirmed he will boycott the upcoming G20 leaders’ summit hosted in Johannesburg later this month.
Speaking at a business forum in Miami, Trump launched a broadside against South Africa’s domestic and foreign policy, using the country as an example of what he termed a nation “going in the wrong direction.”
“Look at South Africa, what’s going on… South Africa shouldn’t even be in the Gs anymore, because what’s happened there is bad. I’m not going. I told them, I’m not going,” Trump stated, drawing a direct link between his decision and his criticism of the country.
A Diplomatic Deep Freeze
The comments represent a significant escalation in the already strained relations between Washington and Pretoria. Tensions have been simmering over South Africa’s non-aligned foreign policy, its close ties with Russia and China through the BRICS bloc, and recent criticism from the US regarding land reform and energy partnerships.
Trump’s announcement is a diplomatic blow to South Africa’s landmark G20 presidency, a first for an African nation. The Johannesburg summit, scheduled for November 22-23, is a pivotal moment for the country to project itself as a leader of the Global South and a bridge to the developed world.
Analysts warn that the US President’s very public snub could complicate these efforts and overshadow the summit’s agenda, which focuses on global economic reform and equitable growth.
The Show Will Go On
Despite the high-profile absence, the summit will proceed. The White House has previously confirmed that the United States will be represented by a delegation, expected to be led by Vice President JD Vance.
South African government officials have maintained that preparations are continuing uninterrupted. South Africa has been a member of the G20 since its inception in 1999 and remains the forum’s sole African representative, a fact that underscores its strategic economic importance on the continent.
President Trump’s remarks, however, have firmly placed geopolitics at the center of the upcoming gathering, turning it into a stage for the escalating global rivalry between Western powers and the BRICS alliance.
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