The United States has expelled South Africa’s ambassador to Washington, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio announcing the move on Friday. Rubio accused Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool of harboring hatred toward America and former President Donald Trump.
Rubio posted on X, declaring that Rasool is “no longer welcome in our great country,” labeling him a “race-baiting politician” who “hates America” and “hates @POTUS.”
Rasool, he added, is considered “PERSONA NON GRATA” and no further discussions are necessary with him.
This rare diplomatic action comes amid escalating tensions between Washington and Pretoria. In February, Trump froze US aid to South Africa, citing a law that he claims enables the government to seize land from white farmers. Trump later stoked the fire by offering South African farmers a “rapid pathway to citizenship” if they sought refuge in the United States.
Trump’s ally, South African-born billionaire Elon Musk, has also criticized President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government, accusing it of having “openly racist ownership laws.”
Land ownership remains a highly controversial issue in South Africa, where much of the farmland is still owned by white individuals decades after the apartheid era. The government faces increasing pressure to implement land reform.
In February, Rasool, a former anti-apartheid activist, voiced strong condemnation of the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza, equating them to the harsh treatment of South Africans during apartheid.
In his post, Rubio linked to an article from the conservative news outlet Breitbart, which cited Rasool’s comments during a livestream to a foreign policy seminar. Rasool claimed that white supremacy was behind Trump’s “disrespect” for the existing world order, and that Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement was a response to growing demographic diversity in the US.
At a G20 event in South Africa last month, President Ramaphosa reflected on a “wonderful” conversation he had with Trump when the US leader first took office, although he noted that relations between the two countries later “seemed to go a little bit off the rails.”
