President Donald Trump announced that no U.S. officials will attend this year’s Group of 20 summit in South Africa. He accused the country of mistreating white farmers and ignoring their safety.
Trump had already decided to skip the annual meeting of world leaders. Vice President JD Vance was supposed to represent the U.S., but plans changed. A person familiar with his schedule said Vance will not travel to the summit.
“It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa,” Trump said on his social media site. He blamed the South African government for allowing violence and land seizures against white Afrikaner farmers.
South Africa strongly denied those claims. Government officials said white citizens still have better living standards than most Black residents. President Cyril Ramaphosa told Trump that reports of persecution were “completely false.”
Despite the response, Trump repeated his criticism. During an economic speech in Miami, he demanded that South Africa be removed from the G20. Earlier this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio boycotted a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting that focused on diversity and climate change.
