“They are giving up the very important role that they should be playing as the biggest economy in the world,” he said .

Trump announced earlier this week that neither he nor any U.S. official would attend the summit, citing discredited claims that white South Africans, particularly Afrikaner farmers, are being persecuted and having their land seized. “No U.S. government official will attend as long as these human rights abuses continue,” Trump said on social media, repeating his assertion that South Africa should not be part of the G20.

The South African government has dismissed the allegations of “white genocide” as “unsupported by reliable evidence,” insisting that no white farmers have had their land confiscated without compensation.

Trump has said he would send Vice President JD Vance in his place, while Argentina’s President Javier Milei, a close Trump ally, has also announced he will skip the summit, delegating his attendance to Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno.

South Africa, which currently holds the G20 presidency, will host the gathering for the first time on African soil. Each year, a different member nation chairs the group and sets the agenda for discussions among the world ’s major economies. The United States is set to assume the presidency from South Africa next year.