….US president says country will not be invited to Miami meeting following latest diplomatic spat
Washington, Nov. 27, 2025 – President Donald Trump said he would bar South Africa from the G20 summit in Miami next year, rekindling a diplomatic stand-off in which the US boycotted last week’s first ever summit in Africa.
On Monday, South Africa symbolically passed on the G20 presidency to the US, but the handover — which normally takes place between heads of state at the summit — became a low-key event at the foreign ministry after President Cyril Ramaphosa declined a last-minute request to hand over to a diplomat.
Trump said this refusal triggered his decision to exclude South Africa.
“Therefore, at my direction, South Africa will NOT be receiving an invitation to the 2026 G20, which will be hosted in the Great City of Miami, Florida next year,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“South Africa has demonstrated to the World they are not a country worthy of Membership anywhere,” he added on Wednesday night.
Trump said the US would “stop all payments and subsidies to them, effective immediately”.
South Africa, long a champion of multilateralism, vowed it would still attend the meetings, which are due to take place at Trump’s personal golf club. Ramaphosa said his country was a member “in its own name and right. It’s G20 membership is at the behest of all other members.” The presidency said:
“South Africa is a sovereign constitutional democratic country and does not appreciate insults from another country about its worth in participating in global platforms.”
Trump has repeatedly attacked South Africa over false claims of a “genocide” of white people taking place in the country, which he repeated on Wednesday.
South Africa’s presidency said it was “regrettable” that “despite the efforts and numerous attempts by President Ramaphosa and his administration to reset the diplomatic relationship . . . President Trump continues to apply punitive measures against South Africa based on misinformation and distortions about our country”.
As Trump began his second term, South Africa initially sought not to anger him as it pushed back on such claims.
But Ramaphosa’s increasingly assertive behaviour over the course of the year-long G20 presidency appeared to enrage Trump.
Hours after Ramaphosa declined to hand over the G20 presidency to a US diplomat, Washington rescinded the visa of Naledi Pandor, a respected former foreign minister who is a frequent visitor to the US.
At this month’s G20 summit, Ramaphosa steered all 19 remaining members into signing a joint declaration, despite Trump demanding they refrain from doing so.
“There is a risk that the US will pressure other countries to weaken their trade, investment, commercial and diplomatic links with South Africa, lest they also be pushed out of the G20,” said Chris Hattingh, executive director of the Johannesburg-based Centre for Risk Analysis think-tank.
While Trump repeatedly disparaged the G20, the US participated in other low-key events throughout the year.
At the B20 — the business track of the multilateral body — representatives from US companies including JPMorgan, Visa and Citi this month signed a joint statement with South African counterparts aimed at strengthening business ties.
“Our job is to make sure that political leaders understand what they need to do to allow companies to pursue their business goals,” Gary Litman, the US business sherpa, said during the meetings. (The Financial Times)
