Ramaphosa Says G20 To Caution Itself From Trump's America First Policies

As the world anticipates the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed the G20's commitment to collaborate with the new leader.

Ramaphosa assured that steps have been taken to mitigate the impact of Trump's America First approach in his second term, which begins on January 20.

"I believe there will be sufficient shock absorbers in place to enable the G20 to continue functioning in a way that advances the interests of the world. Remember, through the G20, we are not advancing the interests of a single country but the interests of the people of the world, collectively represented in the G20," said Ramaphosa.

Trump has indicated that his foreign policy will be combative, pledging to impose new tariffs on China, Mexico, and Canada. He also threatened 100 tariffs against nations in the BRICS bloc, which includes Brazil, Russia, China, India, and South Africa.

On social media site X, Trump warned these countries to "wave goodbye to selling into the wonderful U.S. Economy" if they pursue policies moving away from the U.S. dollar for international trade.

Ramaphosa mentioned on Tuesday that he had reached out to the U.S. president-elect to congratulate him on his election victory and expressed hope that Trump would attend the G20 summit in South Africa in late 2025.

"When I spoke to President Trump to congratulate him, I invited him to come to South Africa for a state visit and to attend the G20 summit. We expect him to attend as the United States will be the next president of the G20. I look forward to handing over the gavel to President Trump," said Ramaphosa.

South Africa assumed the rotational leadership of the G20 from Brazil on Sunday and will hand it over to the United States at the end of 2025.