Photo: Pete Marovich / Getty Images News / Getty Images
Miami, FL - President Donald Trump said South Africa will not receive an invitation to the 2026 G20 summit in Miami, escalating a growing diplomatic dispute between Washington and Pretoria.
The announcement came after a series of disagreements surrounding this year’s G20 meetings in Johannesburg, which the United States did not attend.
The US government declined to participate in the Johannesburg summit after Trump publicly criticized South Africa for what he alleges is discrimination and violence against white South Africans, including farmers.
At the close of the summit, US officials attempted to send an embassy representative to take part in the traditional handover of the ceremonial gavel from the current host nation to the next.
South Africa rejected the gesture, stating that the transfer required the presence of the next summit’s leader, which further strained relations.
Trump announced on social media that South Africa would not be invited to the Miami summit and said his administration planned to halt certain payments to the country.
He claimed the South African government fails to address alleged human rights abuses against Afrikaners and others of European descent.
Trump also referenced videos he previously showed to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as evidence of what he calls a genocide, a characterization South African officials have disputed.
According to official crime data from South Africa, murders of white farmers account for less than 1 percent of the country’s approximately 27000 annual homicides.
South African authorities maintain that crime affects citizens of all backgrounds and deny the existence of a targeted campaign against white farmers.