Trump announced in September that Vice President JD Vance would travel to the G20 summit in his place. However, he now declared that the USA would not send a government representative. “It is an absolute disgrace that the G20 summit is taking place in South Africa,” wrote the US President.
Pretoria expressed regret over Trump’s comments. “The allegation that this community is facing persecution is not based on facts,” the South African Foreign Ministry said. The South African government looks forward to hosting a “successful” summit.
Trump has sharply criticized South Africa over a range of issues since returning to the White House in January. He particularly accuses the former apartheid state of a “genocide” against whites. For its part, the South African government insists that white South Africans face no persecution in their homeland.
Last week, the USA announced that it would massively restrict the admission of refugees. White South Africans or other “victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective home countries” should be given preference. The South African government reacted to the announcement from Washington with sharp criticism.
