U.S. to Boycott G20 Summit in South Africa, Trump Cites “Persecution” of Whites
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said the United States will boycott this year’s G20 summit in South Africa, citing discredited claims that white South Africans face systemic persecution; a decision that has sparked diplomatic tension and widespread criticism.
Calling the summit “a total disgrace,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that “Afrikaners are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated.” He added that “no U.S. government official will attend as long as these human rights abuses continue.”
The G20, which brings together leaders of the world’s largest economies, is set to convene later this month in Johannesburg. Trump had previously argued that South Africa “should not be in the G20 at all” and said Vice President JD Vance would represent Washington instead, though it now appears no delegation will attend.
South Africa’s foreign ministry called the U.S. decision “regrettable,” adding that Trump’s statements “misrepresent both history and reality.” In a sharply worded response, the ministry said, “The characterization of Afrikaners as an exclusively white group is ahistorical. The claim that this community faces persecution is not substantiated by fact.”
The notion of a “white genocide” in South Africa has long circulated among far-right groups in the West but has been consistently debunked by independent researchers and South African courts. None of South Africa’s major political parties including those representing Afrikaners have claimed such persecution exists.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has repeatedly accused South Africa’s government of discriminating against its white minority. In May, he confronted President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House and later offered refugee status to Afrikaners, citing “genocide.” South African officials called the accusation “imagined” and “unsupported by evidence.”
The G20, founded in 1999, represents economies holding more than 85% of global wealth. South Africa’s turn to host was seen as a symbolic moment for African representation; now overshadowed by controversy.
