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US withdraws from G20 summit amid unproven claims of white persecution in South Africa
The United States will not attend the upcoming G20 summit in Johannesburg later this month, President Donald Trump announced, citing widely debunked allegations that white South Africans face systemic persecution. The White House called the situation a "total disgrace," while South Africa's foreign ministry condemned the decision as "regrettable" and factually baseless.
Trump's allegations and policy shift
In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed Afrikaners-descendants of Dutch, French, and German settlers-are being "killed and slaughtered" and their farms "illegally confiscated." He declared no U.S. official would participate in the summit "as long as these human rights abuses continue." The administration had initially planned to send Vice President JD Vance but reversed course entirely.
Since January, Trump has repeatedly accused South Africa of discriminating against its white minority, including during a May Oval Office meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa. The U.S. has granted Afrikaners refugee status, citing a "genocide," though South African courts dismissed such claims as "clearly imagined" in February.
South Africa's response
The South African government rejected the White House's characterization, stating the portrayal of Afrikaners as "exclusively white" is "ahistorical" and that persecution claims lack evidence. Officials also noted minimal uptake of the U.S. refugee offer, underscoring its lack of credibility.
The South African government wishes to state, for the record, that the characterisation of Afrikaners as an exclusively white group is ahistorical. Furthermore, the claim that this community faces persecution is not substantiated by fact.
South African Foreign Ministry
G20 context and implications
Founded in 1999 to address global economic instability, the G20 includes the world's largest economies, representing over 85% of global wealth. The annual summit, which began in 2008, focuses on cooperation among member states, the EU, and the African Union. South Africa is hosting this year's event, with the U.S. set to assume the presidency afterward.
The boycott marks a significant diplomatic rupture, as no other G20 member has echoed the U.S. stance. No South African political party, including those representing Afrikaners, has supported the genocide claims.
