Trump may turn next G20 meeting into 'invitation-only summit' - Media

According to the outlet, it became clear that countries would be allowed to attend the G20 summit only by invitation after Trump warned that he would not allow South Africa to participate.

Bloomberg noted that this is a direct violation of protocol: the American president is deciding on his own which member countries can be present at the summit, while also hosting the event at his own hotel.

Trump’s decision regarding South Africa has triggered questions about which countries will attend the summit. Other G20 members also find themselves in a difficult position: either ignore the insult and attend anyway, or show solidarity and risk retaliatory measures from Trump.

"This is one of the most important multilateral forums we still have in the world — a format we should not diminish unnecessarily," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said, commenting on Trump’s decision.

He added that by skipping the G20 summit in South Africa, "the American government unnecessarily relinquished influence, including in a part of the world that is becoming increasingly important."

According to journalists, officials fear that the US may go further and attempt to have South Africa removed from the G20. However, such a move would require consensus from all G20 countries.

Trump justifies his stance toward South Africa by claiming the country is allegedly committing genocide against white Africans. There is no concrete evidence for this, and South African authorities have denied such claims.

South Africa will not attend the G20 summit

Yesterday, on November 26, US President Donald Trump stated that South Africa will not receive an invitation to the G20 summit that will take place in Miami.

According to the American leader, after the conclusion of the previous G20 summit, South Africa refused to hand over the chairmanship to "the senior representative of the US Embassy who was present at the closing ceremony."