US unveils ‘New G20’ for 2026, excludes South Africa over ‘politics of grievance’

WASHINGTON: The United States on Thursday, in a bold reimagining of the global economic forum, announced plans for what it calls a ‘New G20′ as it prepares to host the 2026 G20 Leaders’ Summit, welcoming Poland as a new member while explicitly excluding South Africa, which US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused of prioritising “spite, division, and radical agendas” during its current presidency.

In a blog post authored by Rubio, titled ‘America Welcomes a New G20′, the Secretary of State stated that the US hosting the G20 Leaders’ Summit, set for December 2026 in Miami, Florida, will also mark America’s 250th anniversary. The US will host the G20 summit for the first time since 2009.

According to Rubio, the ‘New G20’ will focus on three core themes — removing regulatory burdens, unlocking affordable and secure energy supply chains, and pioneering technologies like Artificial Intelligence — through four working groups.

The United States is forging ahead with a new G20. South Africa operated with spite, division, and radical agendas that failed to produce economic growth. America’s G20 will propel us forward with innovation, entrepreneurship and perseverance that makes America great and provides… pic.twitter.com/N3npfX4WvH

— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) December 3, 2025

“Under President Trump’s leadership, the G20 will use four working groups to achieve progress on three key themes: removing regulatory burdens, unlocking affordable and secure energy supply chains, and pioneering new technologies and innovation,” the post read.

“As the global economy confronts the changes driven by technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, and shakes off ideological preoccupations around green energy, the President is prepared to lead the way,” it added. The first Sherpa and Finance Track meetings are slated for December 15 and December 16 in Washington, with subsequent gatherings throughout the year.

Highlighting inclusivity, the US will invite “friends, neighbours, and partners”, including Poland, which Rubio praised as a success story of post-Cold War resilience. “Poland’s success is proof that a focus on the future is a better path than one on grievances. It shows how partnership with the United States and American companies can promote mutual prosperity and growth,” he stated.

The starkest departure is the exclusion of South Africa, the current G20 host, which Rubio lambasted for squandering its post-apartheid potential through “redistributionist policies that discouraged investment” and “racial quotas” that have crippled the economy.

“South Africa entered the post-Cold War era with strong institutions, excellent infrastructure, and global goodwill. It possessed many of the world’s most valuable resources, some of the best agricultural land on the planet, and was located around one of the world’s key trading routes. And in Nelson Mandela, South Africa had a leader who understood that reconciliation and private sector-driven economic growth were the only path to a nation where every citizen could prosper,” the Secretary of State wrote.

“Sadly, Mandela’s successors have replaced reconciliation with redistributionist policies that discouraged investment and drove South Africa’s most talented citizens abroad. Racial quotas have crippled the private sector, while corruption bankrupts the state. The numbers speak for themselves. As South Africa’s economy has stagnated under its burdensome regulatory regime driven by racial grievance, and it falls firmly outside the group of the 20 largest industrialised economies,” he added.

He accused the African National Congress (ANC)-led government of scapegoating its citizens and the US, tolerating violence against Afrikaner farmers, and aligning with adversaries like Iran and Hamas sympathisers.

South Africa’s G20 presidency, Rubio claimed, was marred by ignoring US inputs, blocking negotiations, and even “doxxing” American officials, focusing instead on “climate change, diversity and inclusion, and aid dependency”.

“For these reasons, President Trump and the United States will not be extending an invitation to the South African government to participate in the G20 during our presidency. There is a place for good-faith disagreement, but not dishonesty or sabotage,” Rubio declared.

The post concluded with the US “supports the people of South Africa, but not its radical ANC-led government,” noting that South Africa may rejoin future G20 processes “when it is ready to make the tough decisions needed to fix its system,” reiterating that the US intends to press ahead with what it calls a new configuration of the global economic forum.

“When South Africa decides it has made the tough decisions needed to fix its broken system and is ready to rejoin the family of prosperous and free nations, the United States will have a seat for it at our table. Until then, America will be forging ahead with a new G20,” Rubio stated.

This is not the first time the current US administration has called out the South African government under President Cyril Ramaphosa for its presidency of the 2025 G20 Leaders’ Summit, and has announced its exclusion from the 2026 summit.

Trump, earlier, said that South Africa will not be invited to the 2026 G20 Summit in Miami, while sharply criticising the South African government over what he described as “horrific Human Rights abuses”.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “The United States did not attend the G20 in South Africa because the South African Government refuses to acknowledge or address the horrific Human rights abuses endured by Afrikaners and other descendants of Dutch, French, and German settlers.”

“To put it more bluntly, they are killing white people and randomly allowing their farms to be taken from them,” he added. Trump, later in a post on X, accused the South African government of failing to acknowledge alleged human rights violations faced by certain settlers.

The US also skipped this year’s G20 Leaders’ Summit held in Johannesburg. Ramaphosa called the action by the US regrettable and said that, despite his and his administration’s efforts and numerous attempts to reset the diplomatic relationship with the US, Trump continues to impose punitive measures against South Africa based on misinformation and distortions about his country. (ANI)