JOHANNESBURG — The world’s largest economy will be notably absent from this weekend’s G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg after the Trump administration announced a boycott, citing false race-based claims about South Africa and objections to the summit’s emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion. Since returning to office, President Trump has accused the South African government of seizing white-owned land and failing to stop violence against white Afrikaners; he recently said South Africa “shouldn’t even be in the Gs anymore.”
South African officials have repeatedly disputed those assertions. President Cyril Ramaphosa, downplaying the snub, said this week: “Their absence is their loss.” Still, the U.S. absence is a significant diplomatic setback for South Africa. Argentina’s Javier Milei also said he would not attend in solidarity with Trump. Chinese President Xi Jinping is likewise not traveling, though for unrelated reasons tied to a general reluctance to travel abroad, and Russian President Vladimir Putin is barred from attending by an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over the war in Ukraine.
William Gumede, an associate professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, said the lineup reflects a fractured global moment: “it’s almost an alternative summit without China and without America.” Several other leaders are attending and some, including Germany, have praised the summit themes of “solidarity, equality, sustainability,” which U.S. officials have criticized. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described South Africa’s priorities as a focus on “DEI and climate change.”
Tensions between Washington and Pretoria deepened as leaders began arriving. Ramaphosa said South Africa had received late notice from the U.S. that it might participate “in one shape, form or another,” and that officials still needed to clarify what that meant. He added that, given America’s status as the largest economy, its involvement would be welcome. The White House pushed back: press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the United States would not participate in official G20 talks and objected to Ramaphosa’s public comments, calling them unacceptable.
The U.S. embassy plans to send its chargé d’affaires to carry out the symbolic handover of the G20 rotating presidency back to the United States, a move Ramaphosa’s spokesman rejected, tweeting that “The president won’t hand over to a chargé.” A key question is whether the summit will end with a joint declaration — a document the United States is unlikely to endorse under these circumstances.
Domestic discontent in South Africa has accompanied the diplomatic row. Many Johannesburg residents complained the city has received only a cosmetic cleanup for visiting delegates while enduring long-standing infrastructure problems, including power and water shortages. Critics say the preparations highlight inequality between how visiting leaders are treated and residents’ everyday struggles.
Civil society also used the summit to press local concerns. Thousands of women dressed in black staged a day of action against gender-based violence, staying home from work and lying down in parks and on university campuses to draw attention to high rates of femicide and violence. The group Women for Change organized the action to spotlight those issues as global leaders gather.
The dispute over Trump’s characterization of South Africa has amplified debates about race at home. A right-wing Afrikaans group that echoes Trump’s claims erected billboards welcoming delegates to what it called “the most race-regulated country in the world,” referencing affirmative action policies. In response, a progressive Afrikaner organization put up billboards featuring the national rugby team, the Springboks, with two white players carrying their Black captain, Siya Kolisi, and a tongue-in-cheek line referencing Trump’s complaints: “Terrible things are happening in South Africa.”