WASHINGTON, U.S. – President Donald Trump has said that he will send Vice President JD Vance to the G20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, in November 2025 instead of attending in person.
On Friday, September 5, President Trump did not elaborate on why he had decided to skip the upcoming G20 summit in South Africa, which this year became the first African country to hold the group’s rotating presidency.
“I will not be going this year. It is in South Africa, and I won’t be going. JD will be going, great vice president, and he looks forward to it, but no, I won’t be going to it,” President Trump told reporters at the White House in Washington, DC.
While reacting to Trump’s decision to snub the upcoming event, former South African President Thabo Mbeki said the event will still be “seamless” with or without him.
“But of course, we would prefer that President Trump come in person; since it’s his vice who’s coming, it’s still okay,” said Mbeki, adding that South Africa is keen to host the event.
Mbeki, who served as the 2nd democratic president of South Africa from June 14, 1999, to September 24, 2008, said that a lot of work had been put into the G20.
‘So, we shall hand over to the United States at the end of the year, which will be a very big program about the agenda of the G20 globally, and I think even they, the Americans, will be happy to see what they inherit from us in terms of what they need to do next in terms of the tasks of the G20,” explained Mbeki.
Trump had hinted in July 2025 that he would not attend the summit and would send a different representative to represent the United States, citing his distaste for South African tactics.
Why President Trump is at odds with South Africa
The US president has criticised South Africa’s international and internal policies, including its land policy and its accusation of genocide against Israel in Gaza.
In February, Trump issued an executive order to reduce US aid to South Africa. During a White House meeting in May, Trump falsely accused South African President Cyril Ramaphosa of white genocide and land theft.
Earlier this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also boycotted a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in South Africa, which has the G20 presidency from December 2024 to November 2025.
Trump also announced at the White House that he will chair next year’s G20 summit at his golf resort in Miami, near his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
“I look forward to showing our incredible success to the world,” he said of hosting leaders from the group of major economies, including China, France, Germany, India, Japan and Russia.
What is the annual Group of 20 (G20) summit
Trump stressed that the resort is “right next to the airport. It’s the best location. It’s beautiful.”
The G20 summit is an annual meeting of leaders from the world’s twenty largest economies. It provides a platform for discussing and coordinating policies on a wide range of global issues, including economic stability, climate change, and sustainable development.
The summit brings together heads of state, government ministers, and representatives from various international organisations to foster international cooperation and address pressing global challenges.
Meanwhile, after receiving backlash over moral dilemmas, Trump cancelled his initial proposal to hold a Group of Seven summit at the resort during his first term in 2019.
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