In a stunning diplomatic rebuke, South Africa’s Ambassador has been kicked out of the United States after making inflammatory comments about President Trump and the MAGA movement. The high-profile expulsion comes amid already strained relations between the two nations, complicated by disagreements over land policies and support for Israel.
At a glance:
• South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool was declared persona non grata and expelled from the US after criticizing the MAGA movement as having a “supremacist instinct”
• Secretary of State Marco Rubio labeled Rasool a “race-baiting politician” who “hates America and hates Trump”
• The expulsion follows mounting tensions, including US cuts to financial aid over South Africa’s controversial land expropriation policies
• Rasool returned to Cape Town to a hero’s welcome, with supporters waving Palestinian flags
• The diplomatic rift has led to Rubio skipping the upcoming G20 summit in Johannesburg
Trump Administration Takes Strong Stand Against Anti-American Rhetoric
The Trump administration has taken decisive action against South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool, declaring him persona non grata after his inflammatory comments about President Trump and the MAGA movement. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the expulsion on social media, making it clear that anti-American rhetoric from foreign diplomats would not be tolerated.
The dramatic expulsion came after Rasool claimed during a webinar that the MAGA movement was founded on a “supremacist instinct” in response to demographic changes in America. Rasool’s comments represented a serious diplomatic breach, violating the fundamental protocols of respect that foreign representatives are expected to maintain toward their host country.
Secretary Rubio said on X that “South Africa’s ambassador to the U.S. is no longer welcome in our great country.”
Deeper Tensions Between U.S. and South Africa
The expulsion highlights a broader strain in U.S.-South Africa relations that has been building over several policy disagreements. The Trump administration had already cut financial aid to South Africa over its controversial Expropriation Act, which allows the government to seize land without compensation – a policy many see as targeting white farmers.
Rasool’s controversial statements specifically addressed demographic shifts in the U.S. electorate, claiming the MAGA movement was responding to projections that the voting population would become “48% white.” His comments demonstrated a deeply problematic understanding of the America First agenda, falsely framing it as racially motivated rather than focused on economic prosperity and national sovereignty.
The diplomatic fallout has reached beyond the Ambassador’s expulsion, with Secretary Rubio now planning to skip the upcoming G20 summit in Johannesburg.
Rasool Returns Home to Anti-American Celebration
Rather than showing any contrition for his inflammatory remarks, Rasool returned to South Africa to a hero’s welcome at Cape Town International Airport. Hundreds of supporters greeted him, many waving Palestinian flags and chanting anti-Israel slogans – further highlighting the anti-Western sentiment behind his comments.
Rasool defiantly stood by his comments upon his return, saying, “I would stand by my analysis because we were analyzing a political phenomenon, not a personality, not a nation.” He even attempted to wear the expulsion as a badge of honor, claiming, “A declaration of persona non grata is meant to humiliate you, but when you return to crowds like this… I will wear my persona non grata as a badge of dignity.”
So it seems like Trump made the right choice.
