White House slams Ramaphosa for ‘running his mouth’ over Trump’s last-minute G20 U-turn
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of “running his mouth” over US participation in the G20 Summit.
Image: Screengrab/ X
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has sharply criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing him of “running his mouth” after the South African leader revealed that the United States has had a change of heart and will participate in this weekend’s G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, despite Washington’s announced boycott.
Leavitt delivered the unusually pointed rebuke during a White House briefing on Thursday, saying Ramaphosa’s comments were inaccurate and “not appreciated” by President Donald Trump’s administration.
“I saw the South African president running his mouth a little bit against the United States and the president of the United States earlier today, and that language is not appreciated by the president or his team,” she said.
Her remarks came after Ramaphosa told guests on Thursday that Pretoria had received “notice from the United States … about a change of mind” regarding the boycott, and that Washington could now attend the summit “in one shape, form or other”.
The White House, however, insisted there had been no change to its position. Leavitt and other US officials said the American government would send only a diplomatic representative to the handover ceremony when South Africa passes the G20 presidency to the United States — and would not participate in summit discussions or negotiations.
Ramaphosa on US “change of mind”
IOL reported on Thursday that Ramaphosa told delegates at a European Union leaders’ event in Sandton that the US had made what he described as a late “change of mind” regarding its planned boycott. He said Pretoria had received last-minute communication from Washington indicating that the US would participate “in one shape, form, or another.”
Although he stressed that discussions were ongoing and that the exact form of US involvement remained unclear, Ramaphosa presented the development as positive.
“Boycott politics never work,” he said, adding that even an eleventh-hour signal from Washington was preferable to a total absence from the summit.
Ramaphosa added that the format of the US delegation was still uncertain because most world leaders were already arriving in Johannesburg.
As IOL reported, officials from the US Embassy in Pretoria are expected to represent the United States.
SA says it will not be bullied
Ramaphosa has repeatedly said South Africa “will not be bullied” over its role as G20 host, a line he has used as he pushes back against criticism surrounding the summit and Washington’s decision to stay away from core discussions.
Tensions between Pretoria and Washington escalated after the US announced earlier this month that it would boycott the summit in protest over various issues, including human-rights concerns. South Africa has countered that such a boycott undermines multilateralism and the credibility of the G20 — especially in the year the summit is being held on African soil for the first time.
The diplomatic clash places South Africa in a delicate position as the host nation. While Ramaphosa has maintained that the US “needs to be here” as a founding G20 member, Thursday’s exchange reveals growing irritation in Washington over what it views as Pretoria misrepresenting US intentions.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
IOL News