US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that no American government officials will attend the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) summit in South Africa, which is scheduled for later this month.
Trump explained that his decision was based on what he described as racial persecution of Afrikaners in South Africa – a claim that the South African government has strongly denied.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said, “It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa. Afrikaners [People who are descended from Dutch settlers, and also French and German immigrants] 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. I look forward to hosting the 2026 G20 in Miami, Florida!.”
Who are the Afrikaners?
According to South African History Online, a non-profit group, Afrikaners are descendants of mainly Dutch (34.8%), German (33.7%) and French (13.2%) settlers who came to South Africa in the mid-1600s. Over time, they developed a distinct culture and language – Afrikaans – which is closely related to Dutch. The group is also known as Boers, a term meaning “farmers.”
Last month, Trump set the lowest limit in history for US refugee admissions, saying that most of those accepted would be white Afrikaners.
Vice President JD Vance withdraws from G20 trip
Vice President JD Vance, who had been scheduled to represent the US at the G20 meeting in Johannesburg on November 22–23, will now not attend, Reuters reported citing a source familiar with the matter.
South Africa’s foreign ministry has not yet commented on Trump’s announcement.
Trump has repeatedly criticised South Africa’s domestic and foreign policies, including its land reform program and its recent case accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
Earlier this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also skipped a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in South Africa, which currently holds the G20 presidency from December 2024 to November 2025. The United States is expected to assume the presidency next.
Trump grants asylum to white South Africans
In May, Trump gave asylum to 59 white South Africans under a US resettlement programme, saying they were victims of racial discrimination.
That same month, during a meeting with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House, Trump suddenly claimed that a “genocide” was happening against white Afrikaners in South Africa, according to a report by Al Jazeera.
Ramaphosa rejected the claim, saying, “If there was Afrikaner farmer genocide, I can bet you these three gentlemen would not be here,” as he pointed to three white South Africans present – golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, and billionaire Johann Rupert.
South African historian Saul Dubow from the University of Cambridge told Al Jazeera that Trump’s “white genocide” claim had no truth to it. He suggested Trump’s anger could be linked to South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice over the war in Gaza.
Despite criticism, the Trump administration has stood by its claim of racial persecution. On October 30, the White House announced that most new refugees accepted into the US would be white South Africans, while also cutting the total number of refugees allowed each year to just 7,500.
