US to Skip G20 Summit in South Africa Over Disputed ‘White Genocide’ Claims Trump Says

US President Donald Trump announced that the United States will not attend the upcoming G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, based on the claims that have been widely disputed that the  white South Africans are being persecuted.

Calling the summit’s location “a total disgrace,” Trump accused South Africa of targeting Afrikaners, alleging that they are being killed, their farms illegally seized, and their communities threatened. He declared on his social media platform Truth Social:

“No US government official will attend as long as these human rights abuses continue.”

Previously, Trump had suggested sending Vice President J.D. Vance in his place, but the White House now confirms that no US representatives will participate.

South Africa’s foreign ministry described the decision as “regrettable” and stressed that no evidence supports claims of a genocide against Afrikaners or the broader white community. The ministry also emphasized that the characterization of Afrikaners as an exclusively white group is historically inaccurate.

Trump’s administration has repeatedly raised these concerns since his return to office in January, even granting Afrikaners refugee status in the US last year. The South African government and courts have consistently dismissed allegations of a white genocide as unfounded, pointing to minimal uptake of the refugee program and a lack of credible evidence.

The G20, established in 1999 after the Asian financial crisis, brings together leaders from the world’s largest economies, along with the European Union and African Union, to discuss global economic issues and foster international cooperation. The first leaders’ summit took place in 2008, aiming to stabilize the global economy during the financial turmoil of that year.

South Africa is hosting the summit this year, with the United States scheduled to take its turn as host in the following year.