Speaking in Miami on Wednesday, Donald Trump said he would not be coming to the G20 in South Africa. According to Trump: “We have a G20 meeting in South Africa…South Africa shouldn’t even be in the Gs anymore…what has happened in South Africa is bad…I’m not going…I’ve told them I am not going…I’m not going to represent our country there.”

Trump’s remarks will be a setback for hopes that South Africa might secure a tariff deal with the United States (US). The Common Sense has reported at length that whereas US trade negotiators have presented several opportunities to secure such a deal, the South Africans have stalled, deflected, and obstructed each of these while privately rejecting the prospects of a broader investment pact with America.

The Common Sense has also been told that the South Africans have in part delayed in the hope that the US Supreme Court would overturn the tariffs. That matter was being heard in the court this week and comes after two lower courts had ruled against the Trump tariffs. However, The Common Sense has also been told that the South African strategy is futile given that its attitude has poisoned the relationship with the administration and that Trump will have several alternative mechanisms available to pursue tariffs and other punitive trade measures should he choose to.

South Africa remains in a very small minority of states that have not secured trade and investment pacts with the US. Last week, the US even secured a defence pact with India, opening the way to slashing Indian tariffs, while China and the US have agreed to a framework to start dialling back trade tensions.

Suspicions are rising that a small circle of South African officials are intentionally sabotaging the relationship with America and not reporting the truth of the matter to either the government or the business community.

This week, South African spies were exposed after setting up a false-news disinformation operation blaming Afrikaners for the poor state of relations between South Africa and America. The South African state had previously run a similar effort to blame the Democratic Alliance for the poor state of the relationship.

The Common Sense has also been told that Vice President JD Vance will come to South Africa for the G20 meeting.

As an aside, Trump went on to say in his Miami speech that the world and America: “have a choice between communism and common sense, common sense, does that make sense to you, communism or common sense.”