White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted Thursday that the United States is not participating in official G20 discussions in South Africa, pushing back against comments from South African President Cyril Ramaphosa that suggested Washington had reversed course and planned to engage in the summit.
Leavitt said the administration’s position remains unchanged despite reporting in The New York Times that U.S. Ambassador Marc Dillard would be present at the gathering this weekend. South African officials, including Ramaphosa, had publicly framed the planned attendance as evidence that the U.S. was moving away from its earlier boycott of the meeting.
Ramaphosa told reporters that South Africa had received “notice from the United States” about a potential shift and described it as “a positive sign,” adding that “boycott politics never work.”
But Leavitt forcefully rejected that interpretation.
“I’d be happy to explain because there is not a shift,” she said during a White House press briefing. “The United States is not participating in official talks at the G20 in South Africa. I saw the South African president running his mouth a little bit against the United States and the president earlier today, and that language is not appreciated by the president or his team.”
Leavitt said Dillard’s presence is “purely ceremonial,” intended only to acknowledge that the United States will host the G20 in December 2026. A senior administration official echoed that position, telling The Times that the U.S. role this weekend would be limited and symbolic.
The exchange underscores the strain between Washington and Pretoria, whose relationship has been tested repeatedly in recent years, including over South Africa’s stance on Russia and its criticism of U.S. foreign policy.
Leavitt emphasized that any suggestion of U.S. re-engagement in this year’s G20 negotiations is “false,” attributing the confusion to statements made by Ramaphosa earlier in the day.
