Global Leaders Deliver Diplomatic Snub to Trump at G20 Closing, Skipping U.S. Handover in Rare Rebuke

By Farnaz Fassihi and Keith Bradsher The New York Times November 24, 2025

JOHANNESBURG — In a pointed breach of G20 tradition, world leaders on Sunday closed the annual summit in South Africa without the ceremonial handover of the group’s gavel to President Trump, effectively locking out the United States from the symbolic transition to its 2026 presidency — a diplomatic snub that underscored the deepening isolation of the Trump administration and drew sharp condemnation from Washington as a “hostile act.”

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, the outgoing chair, banged the wooden gavel to formally end the two-day meeting in the Nasrec Expo Centre, declaring: “This gavel of the G20 summit formally closes this summit and now moves on to the next president of the G20, which is the United States.” But with no American representative present to receive it, the gavel remained on the podium, a stark visual emblem of the rift. The omission, confirmed by multiple delegates, broke decades of protocol where the incoming chair accepts the symbol of authority, signaling continuity among the world’s largest economies.

Mr. Trump’s boycott of the summit — the first by a U.S. president in the group’s 25-year history — stemmed from his unsubstantiated claims that South Africa was persecuting its white Afrikaner minority through land expropriation policies, a narrative amplified by far-right influencers and echoed in White House briefings. “This is a rigged summit by anti-American radicals,” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social from Mar-a-Lago hours after the closing. “No gavel? No problem — we’ll make our own rules next year. G20 without us is a joke!” The post, viewed 12 million times by Monday morning, tagged Mr. Ramaphosa and accused the group of “stealing our turn.”

The snub capped a weekend of subtle but unmistakable tensions. The G20’s 122-point Johannesburg Declaration, adopted Saturday on the opening day — unusually early for such documents — included strong commitments to the Paris climate accord and multilateral trade, direct rebukes to U.S. positions on global warming and tariffs. It made only a passing reference to Ukraine, a concession to avoid alienating Russia, but omitted any mention of Mr. Trump’s proposed “America First” trade bloc, which envisions bilateral deals excluding China and the European Union. “Overwhelming consensus,” Mr. Ramaphosa said, emphasizing the declaration’s adoption without U.S. input.

Leaders from the other 18 full members and the European Union, attending in person or via high-level delegations, projected unity in Mr. Trump’s absence. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, speaking after bilateral talks with Germany’s chancellor and EU officials, hailed the “smooth transition” and expressed optimism for a free-trade deal with Europe by early 2026. Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, flanked by China’s Premier Li Qiang, quipped to reporters: “The G20 is bigger than one chair — we’ll pass the gavel when America shows up.” Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, added: “Global challenges demand global cooperation. Absence noted, but progress not paused.”

The boycott itself was a masterstroke of Mr. Trump’s isolationist diplomacy. Citing “security concerns” and the “persecution of white farmers” — a trope rooted in apartheid-era grievances and amplified by Fox News — the White House sent only a low-level diplomat, Anna Kelly, to observe the handover. Ms. Kelly, in a statement, accused Mr. Ramaphosa of “refusing to facilitate a smooth transition” and vowed that the U.S. would “restore legitimacy” to the forum next year. But the move backfired spectacularly, with delegates from Canada, Japan and Indonesia privately mocking the absence as “petty” and “self-defeating.”

Analysts see the snub as a litmus test of Mr. Trump’s second-term foreign policy, which prioritizes bilateral deals over multilateralism. “This isn’t just symbolic — it’s a signal to investors and allies that America’s word is as reliable as its tariffs,” said Wendy Cutler, former acting deputy U.S. trade representative. The G20’s early declaration, a nod to South Africa’s push for African development, included $100 billion in pledges for green energy — excluding U.S. buy-in — and a veiled criticism of protectionism that economists link to a 0.8 percent drag on global GDP from American duties.

In Washington, the fallout has been volcanic. Aides described Mr. Trump raging during a 4 a.m. call Sunday, demanding Attorney General Pam Bondi investigate “G20 election interference” and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr probe “biased coverage” by CNN and BBC. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt, during Monday’s briefing, called the snub “a desperate ploy by failing nations” but dodged questions on retaliation. House Speaker Mike Johnson, facing midterm jitters, urged restraint in a Fox News interview: “We lead by strength, not absence — let’s win next year’s summit.”

Public reaction has been swift and divided. #G20Snub trended with 9.2 million posts on X, spawning memes of an empty chair labeled “USA” beside Mr. Ramaphosa’s gavel. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel quipped: “Trump boycotted the G20? That’s like skipping your own birthday party because the cake’s too small. Now they’re passing the gavel without him — ouch.” A Quinnipiac poll released Monday shows Mr. Trump’s approval at 38 percent — a low — with independents citing “diplomatic isolation” as a top concern.

For South Africa, hosting the first G20 on the continent, the summit was a triumph of soft power. Mr. Ramaphosa touted $1.2 billion in African infrastructure pledges and a unified front on climate, despite U.S. objections. “Africa’s voice was heard,” he said, gavel in hand. As the wooden symbol sits in Johannesburg — unpassed — it serves as a quiet indictment: In a multipolar world, even the gavel can snub a superpower.