The United States on Monday assumed the 2026 Presidency of the Group of 20, the intergovernmental forum comprising 19 countries, the European Union, and the African Union.
The State Department said that under President Donald Trump’s leadership, America will return the G20 to its core mission of driving economic growth and prosperity to produce results.
The U.S. will focus on unleashing economic prosperity by limiting regulatory burdens, unlocking affordable and secure energy supply chains, and pioneering new technologies and innovations.
The government called the “three-core themes” its priorities, adding that the nation looks forward to hosting world leaders in Miami, Florida, in 2026, the 250th anniversary year.
The United States boycotted the 2025 G20 meeting, which took place on November 22-23 in Johannesburg, South Africa, the first African nation to host the summit.
The decision followed President Trump’s repeated assertion that South Africa’s Black-majority government persecutes its white minority, an allegation the country rejects.
Last week, Trump stated that South Africa would not be invited to the G20 Miami 2026 because it did not hand over the G20 presidency to a senior embassy official who attended the closing ceremony.
In a state of the nation address on Sunday, President Cyril Ramaphosa told Washington that the claims of genocide against Afrikaners and confiscating land from white citizens are “misinformation”.
Ramaphosa also dismissed the threat to bar Pretoria from the 2026 gathering, noting that by virtue of its co-founder status, “South Africa is and will remain a full, active and constructive member of the G20.”
Commending the participation of U.S. businesses and civil society groups at the forum in Johannesburg, the President highlighted the value his nation places on “constructive ties”.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has indicated his intention to persuade President Trump to rescind the decision to exclude South Africa from next year’s convention.
“The G7 and G20 are formats that should not be made smaller without good reason,” Merz told reporters in Berlin. “I will try to convince him (Trump).”
US assumes G20 presidency, lists three priorities
