The G20 Summit in South Africa Ends With the Glaring Absence of the US After Trump’s Boycott

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – NOVEMBER 22: Signs welcome heads of state and government on the first day of the G20 Leaders’ Summit the on November 22, 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The heads of state and government gathered here did not include those of the United States, which boycotted the summit due to its objections to South Africa’s G20 presidency. (Photo by Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images)

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The Group of 20 summit in South Africa has ended with the glaring absence of the United States — the next country to lead the bloc. The Trump administration boycotted the two days of talks involving leaders of the world’s richest and top developing economies. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa declared the summit in Johannesburg closed Sunday by banging a wooden gavel on a block like a judge would, in a G20 tradition. The gavel would normally be handed over to the leader of the next country to hold the rotating presidency, but no U.S. official was there to receive it.