WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Friday that South Africa’s ambassador to the United States has been deemed unwelcome in the country in the latest action by the Trump administration against the African nation. Rubio, in a statement on X, criticized Ebrahim Rasool as a “race-baiting politician” who opposes President Donald Trump. Rubio declared the South African diplomat as “persona non grata.”
Rubio, who made the announcement while flying back to Washington from a Group of 7 foreign ministers meeting in Canada, did not provide an immediate explanation for the decision. However, he referenced a Breitbart article about a speech Rasool gave earlier in the day as part of a webinar hosted by a South African think tank. In his speech, Rasool discussed the Trump administration’s actions in the context of a changing demographic landscape in the United States that may lead to white people no longer being the majority.
Both Trump and Elon Musk, a South African native and ally of the President, have criticized South Africa’s Black-led government over a new land law that they claim discriminates against white individuals. The expulsion of a foreign ambassador is rare for the U.S., although lower-ranking diplomats are more commonly targeted with persona non grata status.
Rasool, who previously served as South Africa’s ambassador to the U.S. from 2010 to 2015 before returning in January, spoke in the webinar about the Trump administration’s policies on diversity and immigration. He did not directly criticize Trump but offered advice on how to engage with the administration, stating, “This is not a moment to antagonize the United States” and “Let’s avoid things that cock a snoot at the United States.”
Rasool’s removal follows Trump’s executive order cutting aid to South Africa’s Black-led government, citing concerns over a law allowing the expropriation of private land from Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch colonial settlers. The South African government has denied claims that the new law targets any specific group.
The text highlights Trump’s false claims about land expropriation in South Africa, specifically targeting the Afrikaner community. Trump’s statements have been characterized as full of misinformation and distortions, as no land has been taken under the law. The law allows the government to take land in certain cases, such as when it is not being utilized or for public interest, aiming to address historical injustices from the apartheid era. Additionally, Trump proposed offering Afrikaners refugee status in the U.S., despite them being just one part of South Africa’s white minority. Musk, who oversees Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, has raised concerns about the land law on social media, presenting it as a threat to the white minority in South Africa. Musk also criticized the South African government in a recent post, claiming they chose not to do business with his Starlink project because of his race.
