WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that South Africa will not be invited to next year’s G20 summit in Miami, escalating a diplomatic dispute that began at this year’s gathering in Johannesburg.
Trump said the move comes in response to South Africa’s refusal to hand over G20 hosting responsibilities to a U.S. Embassy representative at the close of last week’s summit. The U.S. delegation did not attend the meeting — a decision Trump said was made because “white Afrikaners were being violently persecuted,” a claim South Africa has rejected as false.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said:
“South Africa will NOT be receiving an invitation to the 2026 G20… South Africa has demonstrated to the world they are not a country worthy of membership anywhere.”
He also announced that the U.S. would cut all payments and subsidies to Pretoria “effective immediately.”
South Africa Pushes Back
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office called Trump’s statements “regrettable” and said the U.S. request to have a local embassy official participate in the handover ceremony was inappropriate. Because the U.S. delegation skipped the summit, the ceremony was moved to the country’s Foreign Ministry building.
Ramaphosa also rejected Trump’s repeated and widely debunked claims that white Afrikaner farmers are being murdered and having their land seized.
“He continues to apply punitive measures based on misinformation and distortions,” the statement said.
A Politicized G20 Moment
Trump has taken a personal interest in hosting next year’s summit at his Doral golf club in Florida, announcing earlier this year that Miami would serve as the venue.
The U.S., a founding G20 member, boycotted this year’s summit, leaving the meeting’s final declaration unsigned by Washington. The Trump administration strongly opposed South Africa’s agenda, particularly its emphasis on climate change and priorities of developing nations.
With the U.S. now taking over the rotating G20 presidency, Trump’s decision to bar South Africa introduces significant uncertainty into the future of the group’s multilateral commitments.
Immigration Policies Targeting South Africa
South Africa has become a frequent target of the Trump administration, which has repeatedly called the country “anti-American” due to its ties with China, Russia, and Iran.
Last month, the administration announced a new refugee cap of 7,500 per year, with most of the slots reserved for white South Africans. Trump previously froze the refugee program on his first day back in office, allowing only limited admissions — primarily white South Africans — since then. In May, 59 white South Africans were admitted as refugees.
Historical Context
Afrikaners — descendants of Dutch, French, and German settlers — number about 2.7 million within South Africa’s population of 62 million. Historically central to the apartheid regime from 1948 to 1994, the group remains culturally significant but politically diverse. Many Afrikaners supported apartheid, while others opposed it and joined movements for racial equality.