Washington (TDI): President Trump has said that he may skip the G20 summit in South Africa, happening in November, and send someone else instead. He cited disagreements over various South African policies as the reason for this.
“I think maybe I’ll send somebody else because I’ve had a lot of problems with South Africa. They have some very bad policies,” Trump told reporters.
Earlier, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also skipped the G20 Foreign Affairs meeting in South Africa; the latter holds the presidency of G20 since December 2024 till November, this year.
Trump’s discord with South Africa is most apparent in the latter’s case against Israel’s war crimes and genocide in Gaza, which it filed in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and since then has been joined by other countries as well.
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The most pronounced display of Trump’s issues with South Africa was the executive order he signed in February, cutting all US financial assistance to the country.
Later, Trump expressed disapproval of South Africa’s land policy in May, during a White House meeting where South Africa’s President was also present. Trump administration’s perceives South Africa’s land policy as a tool to usurp land from whites – an allegation South Africa clearly denies.
As the host of the Summit, South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, is keen for Trump to attend the summit himself as his absence will be a setback for the summit.
Relations between the two countries have not been ideal even during Joe Biden’s Presidency but skipping a significant gathering like the G20 has put the disagreements out in the open.
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