South African Presidency Responds to US President Donald Trump’s G20 Summit Exclusion Statement
- The South African Presidency has responded to Donald Trump's latest statement about the G20 Summit
- The United States President indicated that the country will not be invited to the 2026 event in Miami
- The Presidency noted that the summit was hailed as being one of the most successful by all who attended
- Speaking exclusively to Briefly News, political commentator Talha Randaree discussed Trump's threats to exclude South Africa
PAY ATTENTION: You can now search for all your favourite news and topics on Briefly News.
Source: Getty Images
Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.
GAUTENG – The South African Presidency has responded to Donald Trump’s latest comments about the country and his decision about next year’s G20 Summit.
The President of the United States of America indicated that South Africa would not be invited to next year’s Group of 20 Summit, which will be held in Miami, Florida, in 2026.
The US President did not attend the recently concluded event in South Africa and was annoyed that the country would not hand over the presidency to a representative from the American Embassy.
DON'T MISS IT: Stay Away From Fake News With Our Short, Free Fact-Checking Course. Join And Get Certified!
The South African government maintained that it would not hand over the ceremonial gavel to a non-elected US official at the event and only did so during a low-key affair a few days later.
Presidency responds to Trump’s statement
Following Trump’s post on Truth Social that South Africa would not be invited to next year’s global event, the presidency released a statement, describing his comments as regrettable.
The presidency noted that the World Leaders’ Summit was hailed as one of the most successful by all those who attended, adding that it produced a declaration that ‘affirmed the indisputable strength and value of multilateralism’ when it came to tackling the world’s problems.
“As one of the founding members of the G20, South Africa has always valued the spirit of consensus, collaboration and partnership that defines it as the premier forum for international economic cooperation.
“In keeping with this approach, the United States was expected to participate in all the meetings of the G20 during South Africa’s Presidency, but unfortunately, it elected not to attend the G20 World Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg out of its own volition.”
The Presidency also noted that instruments of the G20 Presidency were later handed over to a US Embassy official at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation’s headquarters.
Source: Twitter
Presidency addresses Trump’s comments about G20 participation
The statement from the Presidency also indicated that it didn’t appreciate Trump’s latest comments about the country. The US President again claimed that white people were being killed, and their farms were being taken from them. He also claimed that the media were refusing to report this.
The Presidency was not pleased with this, saying that its G20 membership was at the behest of all other members.
“South Africa is a sovereign constitutional democratic country and does not appreciate insults from another country about its membership and worth in participating in global platforms. South Africa respects the sovereignty of all countries and will never insult or demean another country or its standing and worthiness in the community of nations,” the statement continued.
Speaking exclusively to Briefly News, political commentator Talha Randaree discussed Trump's threats to bar South Africa, saying that it was because his pride was hurt.
"For a person who campaigned on freedom of speech and not worrying about whose feelings you might hurt with your words, Trump has very thin skin," he noted.
Other stories about the US and SA G20 saga
Briefly News reported that there have been some tensions between the USA and South Africa regarding the G20 presidency.
- The South African government has announced that the United States will be excluded from attending the G20 Leaders’ Summit.
- South Africa has clarified that it intends to fully participate in all upcoming G20 meetings hosted by the United States.
- The White House has responded to South Africa's refusal to hand over the presidency of the Group of 20.
Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.
Source: Briefly News
