Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday expelled South Africa’s ambassador to the U.S. calling him a “race-baiting politician.”
In a post on X, Rubio said South Africa’s Ambassador to the U.S. Ebrahim Rasool hates President Donald Trump and the United States, adding that he is “no longer welcome in our great country.”
In his post, Rubio cited an article from Breitbart that discussed Rasool’s remarks during an online lecture about the Trump administration.
According to the Breitbart story, Rasool alleged white supremacism was motivating Trump’s “disrespect” for the “current hegemonic order” of the world, including in institutions like the United Nations and the G20.
Rasool also said the MAGA movement was in response to the growing diversity of the U.S., the outlet reported.
“We have nothing to discuss with him and so he is considered PERSONA NON GRATA,” Rubio said.
There has been tension between the U.S. and South Africa since Trump took office.
For instance, Trump has expressed strong disagreement with South Africa’s new Expropriation Act, which allows the confiscation of private property without reimbursement and is seen as targeting white South African farmers.
In response, the State Department ended federal funding to South Africa earlier this month. Trump also extended U.S. citizenship to South African farmers who want to flee the country due to safety concerns.
