White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt used a sharp tone in responding to the news, first reported by SABCNEWS, around possible US involvement in the Leaders’ Summit after earlier asserting its absence from the event. A US government Spokesperson said the chargé d’affaires in Pretoria would attend the handover ceremony as a formality, but that the US was not joining G20 discussions.

“The US is not participating in official talks at the G20 in SA. I saw the SA President running his mouth a little bit against the US and the President of the US earlier today. And that language is not appreciated by the President and his team. The Ambassador or a representative of the embassy in SA is simply there to recognize that the US will be the host of the G20, they are receiving that send-off at the end of the event. They are not there to participate in official talks, despite what the SA President is false claiming,” she said.