US to Boycott G20 Summit in South Africa Over “Persecution” Claims – Trump
US to skip Johannesburg summit amid disputed allegations of Afrikaner persecution, sparking diplomatic tensions
- Trump announces the US will boycott the G20 summit in South Africa
- South African government rejects claims as unfounded and describes the US decision as “regrettable.”
- No US officials, including VP JD Vance, will attend the summit
President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will not attend the upcoming G20 summit in South Africa, citing claims—widely disputed—that white South Africans are being persecuted.
Trump called it a “total disgrace” that South Africa is hosting the meeting of the world’s largest economies in Johannesburg later this month. Posting on his social media platform Truth Social, he claimed: “Afrikaners, people descended from Dutch, French and German settlers, are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated. No US government official will attend as long as these human rights abuses continue.”
The White House confirmed that no US representative, including Vice President JD Vance, will attend the summit.
South Africa’s Foreign Ministry condemned the US decision as “regrettable” and rejected the allegations, emphasizing that no political party in the country has reported genocide or persecution against the white population. Officials described Trump’s characterization of Afrikaners as an exclusively white group as “ahistorical” and said the claims are “not substantiated by fact.”
Since returning to office in January, Trump has repeatedly accused South Africa of discriminating against its white minority, even offering Afrikaners refugee status while reducing overall refugee admissions for other groups. South African authorities dismissed the claims, pointing to low uptake of the refugee offer and noting that a local court in February described the allegations as “clearly imagined.”
The G20, founded in 1999, brings together nations controlling more than 85% of global wealth to discuss economic cooperation and global challenges. South Africa is scheduled to host this year’s summit, with the US set to host the following year.
