IN FULL | ‘Democrats Abroad’ slam Trump’s hostility towards Pretoria

A body representing US citizens living in South Africa has denounced their President Donald Trump’s hostile foreign policy towards Pretoria, slamming it as “divisive and hostile”.

The “Democrats Abroad South Africa”, in a statement on Friday, lashed out at Trump’s treatment of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration. The group slammed the US president’s cutting of foreign aid funding to South Africa and his punitive trade tariffs over “unfounded claims” of racial discrimination of the white Afrikaner community.

This comes after Ramaphosa’s hosting of a “successful” G20 summit, which was boycotted by Washington last weekend and has since seen Trump announcing that South Africa would be disinvited from the next gathering of the G20 to be hosted by him in Miami in 2026.

Here is the full statement of “Democrats Abroad”:

US Citizens in South Africa speak out against the Trump administration’s undemocratic, White Supremacist agenda

World leaders gathered in South Africa for the G20 last weekend, adopting a declaration without official representation from the US. We, US citizens in South Africa, applaud South Africa’s diplomatic efforts and celebrate the achievements of the G20 in seeking solutions to the world’s challenges. We feel compelled to denounce the current US administration’s direction, its divisive rhetoric, promulgation of disinformation and combative foreign policy vis a vis South Africa.

The US is experiencing a profoundly challenging period marked by isolationism, disengagement from multilateral forums, the erosion of democratic norms and diplomacy, and disruptive foreign policy. We are appalled that this administration demonstrates such disregard for our common humanity, leaders of the global community and the principles of diplomacy and multilateral co-operation that contribute towards international development and stability.

South Africa has been harshly affected by drastic US policy changes, including the dismantling of USAID, withdrawal of critical health-related funding and trade and tariff uncertainties, but it has also been directly targeted. 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 to “human rights abuses”, “white genocide” and “the confiscation of land” to amorphous statements about “extermination polices” and that the country is “behaving extremely badly”.

These narratives have been publicly refuted by the South African government, civil society, religious leaders, credible news outlets and South African citizens — including white Afrikaners.

As US citizens in South Africa we know first-hand that the allegations are baseless and serve 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, including extreme reductions in refugee admissions and the prioritisation of white Afrikaner refugees above all others.

The 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. They also aim to discredit the societal and economic transformation required in grappling with a 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 the current administration’s rhetoric and actions have on South Africa.

We are speaking out and fighting to protect both American democracy and mutually beneficial engagement with the world, with particular interest in South Africa. We value diplomacy, multilateral collaboration and a worldview founded in the pursuit of global justice, freedom, equality and mutual respect.

Democrats Abroad South Africa

28 November 2025

TimesLIVE