Trump Claims “White People Are Being Killed,” Pulls US Out Of G20 Johannesburg Summit

International

oi-Ruchika Pareek

Published: Saturday, November 29, 2025, 9:52 [IST]

US President Donald Trump has said the United States boycotted the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, held on November 22-23, 2025, because of what he described as human rights abuses against white Afrikaners. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Trump claimed that "they are killing white people" and taking their farms, accusing President Cyril Ramaphosa's government of ignoring violence against descendants of Dutch, French and German settlers.

US Boycott and Diplomatic Fallout

The move resulted in the complete absence of any US delegation at the summit. The US had initially planned to send an embassy representative for the G20 presidency handover. However, South Africa rejected this as "disrespectful," prompting the US to withdraw entirely.

President Ramaphosa had earlier suggested the US might still participate in some form, but the boycott remained in place, casting a shadow over Africa's first time hosting the G20.

Tensions Deepen Ahead of 2026 G20

Following the boycott, Trump announced that South Africa would not be invited to the 2026 G20 Summit in Miami, Florida, which will take place under the US presidency. This added to existing tensions between the two countries, including a previous Oval Office meeting where Trump reportedly showed Ramaphosa a video highlighting alleged attacks on white farmers.

South African officials, along with independent fact-checkers, have consistently rejected claims of a "white genocide" or organised, systematic killings.

Impact on Global Discussions

The absence of the United States-the world's largest economy-combined with the nonattendance of China's Xi Jinping, limited high-level engagement on critical issues such as climate policy, debt restructuring and financial support for developing nations.

Despite the disruptions, several G20 countries praised South Africa's conduct as host. Meanwhile, Trump's threat to exclude South Africa from the Miami summit faces uncertainty, as South Africa holds permanent G20 membership.