White House Criticizes Ramaphosa for Running His Mouth
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt cited a recent New York Times article indicating that the United States intended to send its acting ambassador to South Africa, Marc Dillard, to attend the summit.
On Thursday, Ramaphosa told reporters that Pretoria had received communication from Washington about its supposed decision to participate “in one shape or form or other” in the gathering.
Leavitt rejected the South African president’s assertions as inaccurate, emphasizing that the U.S. would not engage in official discussions during the summit.
“I saw the South African president running his mouth a little bit against the United States and the president of the United States, and that language is not appreciated by the president or his team,” she remarked.
The spokeswoman clarified that the acting ambassador’s presence at the summit was “simply” to oversee the formal handover of the rotating G20 presidency to Washington.
“They are receiving that send-off at the end of the event. They are not there to participate in official talks despite what the South African president is falsely claiming,” Leavitt added.
Tensions between Washington and Pretoria have worsened since U.S. President Donald Trump assumed office in January.
Trump cited South Africa’s alleged genocide against white farmers as his justification for not attending the first G20 leaders’ summit to be hosted on African soil.
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