US Citizens in South Africa Criticise Trump’s Claims of 'White Genocide

US citizens residing in South Africa have expressed their discontent with President Donald Trump's stance to exclude South Africa from the 2026 G20 Summit, based on false theories of "white genocide."

The South African-based Americans stated that they were "appalled" by Trump's administration, which demonstrated a disregard for common humanity, the leaders of the global community, and the principles of diplomacy and multilateral cooperation that contribute to international development and stability.

The relations between USA and South Africa have reached an all time low this year as Trump has repeatedly made claims about a "white genocide" in South Africa and criticized the country for its policies aimed at addressing racial inequality.

Trump's administration also opposed the theme of South Africa's G20 presidency, which was "solidarity, equality and sustainability".Trump had already said that South Africa would not to invite South Africa to the G20 leaders' summit that the hosts next year in Florida.

On Monday the US sent invitations to all G20 members except SA to attend the first sherpas’ meeting of the US G20 presidency, which takes place in Washington on 15 and 16 December.

This non-invitation from the US to SA gave credence to Trump’s announcement last week that he would not invite South Africa to the G20 Leaders’ Summit that the will host in Miami during  December 2026

Speaking to Daily News, Ricardo Gressel, representing various other US citizens living in the country, stated that he does not characterise a president who speaks his mind as a leader.

Gressel said that he and other Americans living locally believed that South Africa has been harshly affected by drastic US policy changes, including the dismantling of USAID, the withdrawal of critical health-related funding, and ongoing trade and tariff uncertainties.

"Since taking office, President Trump and members of his administration have repeatedly made unfounded claims about South Africa, ranging from allegations of the racial persecution of white people through human rights abuses, white genocide, and “the confiscation of land, to vague statements about 'extermination policies' and claims that the country is behaving extremely badly.

“A leader is someone who speaks for the hearts and minds of the people.

Humanity, whether South Africans or Americans, desires leadership that builds rather than destroys, promotes unity rather than division, and seeks progress for the working class rather than transactional deals for the elite,” Gressel said.

He noted that the narratives of "white genocide" have been publicly refuted by the South African government, civil society, religious leaders, credible news outlets, and South African citizens, including white Afrikaners.

Another US citizen based in the country, Liz O'Leary echoed Gressel's sentiments saying Trump’s allegations were baseless and served a deeper, concerning agenda.

“The Trump administration’s authoritarian rhetoric and policies are rooted in white supremacy and white Christian nationalism. This agenda, articulated in Project 2025, is being enacted across both domestic and foreign policy arenas.

"A stark example is the race-based restructuring of US refugee policy, which includes extreme reductions in refugee admissions and the prioritisation of white Afrikaner refugees above all others.

"These false assertions are dangerous propaganda that harm US-South Africa relations at all levels, misrepresent the strength and values of South Africa’s diverse constitutional democracy, and seek to undermine its leadership and sovereignty,” O'Leary said

She said that one aim of this misinformation was to discredit the societal and economic transformation required to address the legacy of nearly 350 years of colonialism and apartheid.

“We note how South Africa’s courageous action in taking the case against Israel to the International Court of Justice has been weaponised against it to advance politically motivated narratives.

"The administration and aligned groups are deploying racist fearmongering, authoritarian tactics, and violence to sow division, roll back rights and freedoms, weaken democracy, and concentrate wealth and power in the hands of a few.

"We deeply regret the impact of the current administration’s rhetoric and actions on South Africa,” O'Leary emphasised.

Political analyst Andre Duvenage stated that Gressel’s sentiments were more aligned with the Democrats than with what Trump represents in the Republican Party.

Duvenage expressed uncertainty about whether Gressel’s perspective fully represents American citizens in the country.

“What I believe is that from a certain ideological point of view, there is merit in their viewpoints, but on the other side, there is the ideological debate that is happening.

"They should provide what Trump considers to be the national interest of the US; Trump is acting in terms of national interest. America, as a democratic state, has very diverse viewpoints,” the political analyst concluded.

Attempts to receive a response from the US embassy spokesperson Rubani Trimiew were unsuccessful at the time of publishing.