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Liberty Caller Editorial Team

Trump ATTENDANCE Confirmed – Or NOT?

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that U.S. President Donald Trump has agreed to attend the upcoming G20 summit in Johannesburg, but the White House has yet to confirm this claim following their contentious White House meeting.

At a Glance

  • Ramaphosa claims Trump agreed to attend the G20 summit in South Africa despite no official White House confirmation
  • The announcement follows a tense White House meeting where Trump confronted Ramaphosa with claims about “white genocide” in South Africa
  • Trump reportedly froze aid to South Africa over land expropriation laws and scaled back USAID operations
  • The U.S. will assume the G20 presidency after South Africa’s term concludes
  • U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously boycotted a preliminary G20 meeting in South Africa

Ramaphosa Claims Trump Will Attend G20 Summit

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has claimed that President Donald Trump has agreed to attend the upcoming G20 summit in Johannesburg scheduled for November. Ramaphosa made this announcement following his recent diplomatic visit to the United States, describing the trip as successful. According to Ramaphosa, Trump acknowledged during their discussions that the United States should continue playing a key role in international forums such as the G20, which brings together the world’s major economies to address global economic challenges.

However, the White House has neither confirmed nor denied these claims about Trump’s attendance at the summit. President Trump himself has not publicly committed to attending the event in person, though he has emphasized the importance of American presence at both the G7 and G20 summits. The Johannesburg summit will mark the conclusion of South Africa’s presidency of the G20, after which the United States is set to assume the rotating presidency of the organization.

Contentious White House Meeting

The announcement about Trump’s potential G20 attendance follows what reports describe as a tense meeting between the two leaders at the White House. During this encounter, Trump reportedly confronted Ramaphosa with claims about “white genocide” in South Africa, presenting news clippings and video montages to support his assertions. These claims have been widely discredited by fact-checkers and human rights organizations, who note that while farm attacks do occur in South Africa, they do not constitute a systematic targeting of white farmers.

“If there was Afrikaner farmer genocide, I can bet you, these three gentlemen would not be here,” Cyril Ramaphosa said during the meeting, referring to South African golfers who accompanied him.

Trump also reportedly criticized South Africa’s new Expropriation Act, which allows for land seizure for public purposes, sometimes without compensation. This legislation has been a point of contention between the two nations, with reports indicating that Trump has frozen aid to South Africa over the law and scaled back USAID operations in the country, affecting programs including HIV treatment initiatives.

Land Reform and U.S.-South Africa Relations

The land reform issue remains a sensitive topic in South Africa, where white South Africans, though a minority of the population, own a disproportionate majority of the land – a legacy of the apartheid era. Ramaphosa’s government has pursued land reform as a means to address these historical inequities, but the approach has drawn criticism from some international observers, including members of the Trump administration.

“We have many people that feel they’re being persecuted, and they’re coming to the United States,” Trump stated during their meeting.

Despite these tensions, Ramaphosa attempted to shift the focus of the meeting toward economic cooperation, discussing trade opportunities including access to South Africa’s critical minerals. While no formal trade agreement was confirmed following the meeting, Ramaphosa described the discussions as successful. The diplomatic relationship has been further strained by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s decision to boycott a preliminary G20 meeting in South Africa, citing tensions over the Expropriation Act and disagreement with the G20 theme of “solidarity, equality and sustainability.”

G20 Summit Implications

The G20, established in 1999 to coordinate economic policies among industrialized and developing nations, will meet in Johannesburg as South Africa concludes its term as president of the organization. The summit represents an important forum for addressing global economic challenges and fostering international partnerships. With the United States set to assume the presidency after South Africa, Trump’s attendance or absence would send a significant diplomatic message about American engagement with multilateral institutions and with Africa specifically.

If Trump does attend as Ramaphosa claims, it would mark a significant diplomatic moment following their contentious White House meeting. However, the absence of confirmation from the White House leaves uncertainty about whether the American president will actually make the trip to Johannesburg or whether the U.S. will be represented by other officials. The decision will likely influence the tone and outcomes of what will be South Africa’s final major event as G20 president.

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