White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has sharply criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing him of “running his mouth” after the South African leader revealed that the United States has had a change of heart and will participate in this weekend’s G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, despite Washington’s announced boycott.
Leavitt delivered the unusually pointed rebuke during a White House briefing on Thursday, saying Ramaphosa’s comments were inaccurate and “not appreciated” by President Donald Trump’s administration.
“I saw the South African president running his mouth a little bit against the United States and the president of the United States earlier today, and that language is not appreciated by the president or his team,” she said.
Her remarks came after Ramaphosa told guests on Thursday that Pretoria had received “notice from the United States … about a change of mind” regarding the boycott, and that Washington could now attend the summit “in one shape, form or other”.
.@PressSec: "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 @POTUS… and that language is not appreciated by @POTUS and his team." pic.twitter.com/82sli52oRD
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 20, 2025
The White House, however, insisted there had been no change to its position. Leavitt and other US officials said the American government would send only a diplomatic representative to the handover ceremony when South Africa passes the G20 presidency to the United States — and would not participate in summit discussions or negotiations.