CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed confidence that the Group of 20 (G20) has the resilience, or “shock absorbers,” to effectively function even if the incoming Donald Trump administration prioritizes an “America First” approach over international cooperation. Ramaphosa made these remarks on Tuesday as South Africa officially took over the G20 presidency.
South Africa assumed the leadership of the world’s leading economies on Sunday, taking over from Brazil, and will pass the presidency to the United States in December 2025. The three nations will collaborate over the next year as part of the G20’s leadership rotation.
In his address, Ramaphosa emphasized that one of South Africa’s key priorities during its presidency will be highlighting the impact of climate change on developing countries—a cause at odds with U.S. President-elect Trump’s skeptical stance on international climate agreements. Ramaphosa was asked how the G20 would handle the anticipated “America First” policies under Trump’s second term, to which he responded: “We will seek to get sufficient consensus on decisions that need to be taken by the G20… There will be sufficient shock absorbers to enable the G20 to continue to function.”
Trump has indicated his foreign policy could be confrontational, including plans to impose new tariffs on China, Mexico, and Canada, and has even threatened 100% tariffs on countries in the BRICS bloc, which includes South Africa, Brazil, Russia, China, and India. Trump’s comments on social media further escalated tensions, warning BRICS nations that they should “wave goodbye” to selling goods to the U.S. if they continue moving away from the U.S. dollar in international trade. Despite these threats, BRICS countries have yet to make substantial moves away from the dollar, with analysts deeming such a shift impractical due to the dollar’s global dominance.
Ramaphosa also shared that he had personally reached out to Trump to congratulate him on his election victory. He jokingly invited the golf-loving Trump to visit South Africa to enjoy its renowned golf courses, saying he hoped the U.S. president would attend the G20 summit in South Africa in late 2025. “If he has time… President Trump and possibly myself can go and play golf and talk about global matters,” Ramaphosa quipped.
