South African President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed confidence on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump will attend the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) summit in Johannesburg this November, despite a tense encounter between the two leaders at the White House.
Speaking to reporters in Washington following their meeting, Ramaphosa emphasised the importance of the United States’ ongoing leadership role in the G20, which it will chair in 2026. “I want to hand over the presidency of the G20 to President Trump in November, and I said he needs to be there. I don’t want to hand over the presidency of the G20 to an empty chair,” he said.
The meeting between the two presidents saw an unexpected moment when Trump showed Ramaphosa a video alleging a “genocide” against South Africa’s white minority—a claim widely disputed and condemned by Pretoria. Earlier in the year, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had boycotted a G20 meeting of foreign ministers in Johannesburg, reflecting ongoing diplomatic strains.
Despite the confrontation, Ramaphosa sought to maintain a positive tone, noting that the leaders did not dwell on the contentious video during their lunch. He said Trump had agreed to future meetings and that officials from both countries would continue talks on trade issues.
“So all in all, I do believe that our visit here has been a great success,” Ramaphosa said. “We’ve been able to achieve what we set out to achieve, re-engagement with the US.”
