The United States has expelled South Africa’s ambassador to Washington, Ebrahim Rasool, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio accusing him of being a “race-baiting politician” who “hates America and President Donald Trump.”
Rubio announced the decision on X, declaring Rasool “persona non grata” and stating that the US had “nothing to discuss with him.” The rare diplomatic move further escalates tensions between Washington and Pretoria.
The expulsion follows Trump’s decision in February to freeze US aid to South Africa over a contentious land ownership law that he claims allows white farmers’ land to be seized. Trump recently invited South African farmers to migrate to the US, offering a “rapid pathway to citizenship.”
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had previously said he had a wonderful conversation with Trump earlier this year, but admitted that relations later “seemed to go a little bit off the rails.”
Rasool, a former anti-apartheid activist, has drawn criticism from right-wing circles for his remarks on Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement, which he suggested was a response to growing US demographic diversity. He has also been outspoken against Israel’s war in Gaza, likening it to apartheid-era oppression in South Africa.
