Overview
- After assuming the 2026 presidency on December 1, the United States set three priorities for the G20: easing regulatory burdens, securing affordable and reliable energy supply chains, and advancing new technologies and innovation.
- The U.S. removed South Africa’s 2025 materials, including the Johannesburg leaders’ declaration, from the official G20 website and rebranded it for Miami 2026.
- Invitations went out to all G20 members except South Africa for the December 15–16 sherpas’ meeting in Washington, and President Donald Trump says South Africa will not be invited to the 2026 leaders’ summit and that U.S. payments will be halted.
- President Cyril Ramaphosa rejected Trump’s allegations about the treatment of white South Africans as misinformation, affirmed South Africa’s standing as a full member, and said the formal handover occurred to a U.S. embassy official in Pretoria.
- Some G20 figures, including Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, have urged a rethink of South Africa’s exclusion, with diplomats warning the move could set a precedent for unilateral membership constraints.