U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he might not attend the Group of 20 (G20) leaders’ summit in South Africa this November, citing strong disapproval of the country’s policies, according to Reuters report.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump stated, “I think maybe I’ll se nd somebody else because I’ve had a lot of problems with South Africa. They have some very bad policies.”

Trump has frequently criticized South Africa’s domestic and foreign policies, including its land reform efforts and its legal action against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where South Africa accused the U.S. ally of committing genocide in Gaza.

The war in Gaza, which erupted after a deadly Hamas attack in October 2023 that killed 1,200 people and saw over 250 taken hostage, has since led to tens of thousands of deaths, a hunger crisis, and mass displacement across Gaza.

Israel denies the genocide allegations, defending its actions as necessary self-defense, though it faces war crimes accusations at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

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In February, Trump signed an executive order to cut U.S. financial aid to South Africa.

During a White House meeting in May, he reportedly confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with unfounded claims of white genocide and land seizures.

The tension extends beyond Trump’s administration, earlier this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio boycotted a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in South Africa, which is serving as G20 president from December 2024 through November 2025.

Diplomatic ties between Washington and Pretoria have grown increasingly strained, particularly over South Africa’s Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policies aimed at correcting centuries of racial inequality.

President Ramaphosa has urged Trump to attend the G20 summit and has dismissed Washington’s claims that South Africa’s land reform would involve arbitrary seizure of white-owned land.

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