Trump Signals He May Skip G20 Summit in South Africa Over Policy Disputes

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President Donald Trump said he might skip the G20 leaders’ summit in South Africa in November and could send someone else instead, citing his disapproval of the country’s policies. Trump criticised South Africa’s land reform policies and its legal action accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice, referring to them as “very bad policies.”

In February, Trump signed an executive order to suspend U.S. aid to South Africa and offered expedited U.S. citizenship pathways to Afrikaner farmers claiming persecution. Earlier this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio boycotted a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Johannesburg, citing South Africa’s policies as anti‑American, and the U.S. sent a lower‑level delegation instead.

President Cyril Ramaphosa dismissed Trump’s assertions, calling them inflammatory and based on misinformation, and defended South Africa’s land reform and foreign policy decisions as constitutionally grounded. Ramaphosa’s administration dismissed U.S. criticisms as being based on misinformation.

Analysts warn that Trump’s absence could diminish U.S. influence over the global economic agenda and create an opportunity for China to assert greater leadership at the summit. Administration officials indicated the U.S. is likely to send a lower‑level delegation even if the president does not attend the summit.

The November 2025 summit in Johannesburg will be the first G20 held on the African continent, and Trump’s potential absence has raised concern among allies that the U.S. may be retreating from multilateral engagement.