US says South African ambassador’s remarks were ‘unacceptable’

Remarks by South Africa’s ambassador to the United States about President Donald Trump were “unacceptable,” a State Department spokesperson told reporters on Monday after Washington last week made the decision to expel the envoy.

Ties between the two countries have slumped since Trump cut US financial aid to South Africa, citing disapproval of its land policy and its genocide case against Washington’s ally Israel at the International Court of Justice.

The expulsion of ambassador Ebrahim Rasool following an article that quoted him as saying President Donald Trump was leading a white supremacist movement, was the last straw.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday in a post on X that he was expelling Rasool, calling him a “race-baiting politician” who hates Trump, and reposting the article from right-wing website Breitbart.

“These remarks were unacceptable to the United States, not just to the president, but to every American,” State Department