US President Donald Trump says none of his officials would attend this month’s G20 summit in Johannesburg, deepening a row with Africa’s biggest economy over its alleged mistreatment of its white minority.
Trump has for months railed against what he calls a “genocide” waged against Afrikaners, imposing harsh tariffs against South Africa and reorienting his country’s refugee policy to favor the group. And though he himself was not expected to attend the meeting — the first time the G20 has been held in Africa — his vice president and secretary of state were presumed to be joining.
Pretoria called the decision “regrettable,” and experts have roundly described the US allegations of persecution as baseless.