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President Cyril Ramaphosa has delivered a sharp critique of America at a global "progressive" summit in Spain, aligning South Africa with a broader effort to build an international counterweight to the politics associated with the MAGA movement in the United States (US).

Speaking in Barcelona at a gathering hosted by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, an arch Trump critic, Ramaphosa joined a coalition of anti-MAGA leaders seeking to form a coordinated global front. The meeting brought together political leaders, activists, and institutions with the stated aim of countering conservative movements gaining traction across Europe and the US.

In his address, Ramaphosa framed the current global environment as one marked by aggression, war, conflict, and destruction, arguing that international norms and institutions were being undermined.

According to Ramaphosa, “The resurgence in unlawful wars of aggression and genocide in places like Palestine are linked to ideologies of superiority that continue to treat the peoples of Africa, Asia, and Latin America as second-class global citizens – and regards the resources of their countries as goods to be used in service of former colonial and imperial powers.”

He linked geopolitical tensions and global inequality to persistent imbalances of power rooted in historical systems.

Central to his message was a call for a coordinated global leftist revival, urging governments, political parties, and civil society organisations to unite in opposition to what he characterised as reactionary forces.

According to Ramaphosa, “Across the world, we must build a united front of governments, political parties, social movements, community organisations, think tanks, influencers, and social activists bound together by a shared desire for a better world.”

“This may be a time of crisis, but this is not a moment for doubt or despair. This is a moment for action, for mobilisation, for renewal. For most of us alive today, there has never been a more important moment than now for a global progressive revival. A revival that is confident in its values, clear in its purpose, and united in its resolve. This moment of severe crisis is at the same time a moment of unique opportunity. It is an opportunity to galvanise the forces of progressive change to forge a new path of peace, democracy and social justice.”

Ramaphosa also emphasised the need to counter narratives that, in his view, exploit economic insecurity and social divisions.

The Barcelona meeting forms part of a broader effort among leftist-aligned leaders to build international cooperation around issues such as inequality, climate policy, and multilateral governance, while positioning themselves in ideological opposition to conservative movements, particularly those associated with US President Donald Trump and his allies.