In early November, the White House announced that it would not be sending anyone to the upcoming G20 summit in South Africa.
Then, at the last minute, reports broke that the administration had reached out to South Africa and expressed a desire to attend after all.
The White House, however, is denying that claim, calling it all fake news.
The G20 summit is usually a back-slapping event for all the powers that be around the world, and it is a major photo-op for all the heads of state.
This time, the event is being held in South Africa, which led President Donald Trump to declare that the United States would be boycotting the proceedings.
He stated, "It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa. Afrikaners (People who are descended from Dutch settlers, and also French and German immigrants) are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated.”
Trump continued, "No U.S. Government Official will attend as long as these Human Rights abuses continue. I look forward to hosting the 2026 G20 in Miami, Florida!"
On Thursday, reports blew up that Trump had apparently changed his mind.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that there had been last-minute communications expressing interest in attending the event, and that his government was working on the logistics of adding the United States to the summit.
Ramaphosa stated, “The United States is a member of the G20, they are an original member of the G20, so they have the right to be here.”
He added, “And all we are seeking to do is looking at the practicalities … for them to participate.”
When the report surfaced, the White House immediately announced that the report was false and that Trump had no intention of sending anyone to the summit. A White House spokesperson stated, "This is fake news. The chargé d'affaires in Pretoria will attend the handover ceremony as a formality, but the United States is not joining G20 discussions.”
Later in the day, during a media briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that there would not be a U.S. official at the event, stating, "The United States is not participating in official talks at the G20 in South Africa," she said. "I saw the South African president running his mouth a little bit against the United States and the president of the United States earlier today, and that language is not appreciated by the president or his team.”
She continued, "The ambassador or the representative of the embassy in South Africa is simply there to recognize that the United States will be the host of the G20. They are receiving that send-off at the end of the event. They are not there to participate in official talks despite what the South African president is falsely claiming."
The South African president responded by claiming the United States was trying to “bully” him, and that he would not tolerate it.
