Trump snubs G20 Summit over debunked ‘white genocide’ conspiracy
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Trump faces fierce criticism after pulling out of the G20 summit in South Africa, with opponents accusing him of fueling white supremacist narratives.
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US President Donald Trump meets South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office at the White House, Wednesday, May 21, in Washington (AP)
US President Donald Trump announced on Friday that no US officials will attend the upcoming Group of 20 summit in South Africa, repeating his unsubstantiated claim that White South Africans are being “murdered and oppressed.”
In a post on social media, Trump said the United States would not participate in the meeting of the world’s largest economies “as long as these Human Rights abuses continue.”
The summit, themed “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability,” is set to take place in Johannesburg in two weeks.
Trump reiterated his belief that White farmers in South Africa are being persecuted, a claim also amplified by his former ally Elon Musk, who was born in the country.
In his statement, Trump alleged that Afrikaners and other White South Africans “are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated.”
During his first term, he similarly suggested, without evidence, that White farmers were being killed on a “large scale,” echoing rhetoric long propagated by white supremacist groups.
South Africa rejects Trump’s allegations
South African officials swiftly rejected Trump’s accusations. The country’s President Cyril Ramaphosa and other leaders previously told Trump that while South Africa faces high crime rates, White farmers are not disproportionately targeted.
During a meeting with South African President Cyril #Ramaphosa, Donald #Trump repeated several false and misleading claims about the treatment of white farmers. These include allegations of genocide, violent land seizures, and misrepresented imagery. pic.twitter.com/2JWmYbojvz
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) May 23, 2025
In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for South Africa’s Foreign Ministry called Trump’s post “regrettable", saying the allegation of persecution was “not substantiated by fact.” Earlier this year, a South African court also ruled that claims of a “white genocide” were “clearly imagined and not real,” in a case related to a disputed estate.
Land reform and historical context
South Africa has recently implemented a law allowing land expropriation without compensation in rare cases, a measure intended to address the lingering legacy of apartheid, which deprived Black South Africans of land ownership rights.
White citizens make up about 7 percent of South Africa’s population but still own nearly three-quarters of the country’s farmland, according to a 2017 land audit.
In February, Trump signed an executive order suspending US aid to South Africa over the alleged land reform issue. His administration has since focused on prioritizing White South Africans for refugee resettlement, while sharply limiting admissions from other regions. Documents reviewed by The Washington Post show that the administration aims to fill up to 7,000 of the annual 7,500 refugee slots with White South Africans, citing sources familiar with the policy.
Read more: 'Misrepresentation': NYT refutes Trump's S.Africa white genocide video
