The United States will host the 2026 G20 Summit in Miami without South Africa in attendance, President Donald Trump announced Friday. The exclusion decision comes alongside serious allegations about the treatment of white minority populations in the African nation, particularly those involved in farming and agriculture.
Trump’s announcement via social media platform X provided detailed reasoning for both the recent American boycott of South Africa’s G20 Summit and the decision to exclude the nation from next year’s event. The President described what he characterizes as systematic human rights abuses against Afrikaners and other descendants of European colonial settlers. His statement included explicit claims about violence and property confiscation targeting these communities.
Last weekend’s G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg proceeded with broad international participation, drawing figures like Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi among other global leaders. However, the United States maintained a complete absence, sending no official delegation to the proceedings. This boycott represented a clear diplomatic message about American concerns regarding South African domestic policies.
The situation escalated when Trump claimed South African officials improperly handled the ceremonial transition of G20 leadership to the United States. Although an American embassy representative attended the summit’s closing ceremony, Trump suggested the handover was deliberately mismanaged. South African authorities countered this narrative by explaining that proper diplomatic protocol was followed, with the transfer occurring at their foreign ministry offices since no official US delegation attended the main summit.
President Ramaphosa’s response highlighted the regrettable nature of the exclusion while reaffirming South Africa’s desire for constructive dialogue with Washington. The specific allegations Trump raised about persecution and genocide of white farmers have been longstanding talking points, though they have been comprehensively disputed by the South African government, local white leadership, and international observers. These claims continue to be recycled in political discourse despite evidence contradicting their severity and systematic nature.