Rubio Declares South African Ambassador 'Persona Non Grata' Amid Controversial Remarks
Sarah Johnson
March 16, 2025
Brief
Secretary of State Marco Rubio declares South Africa's ambassador persona non grata over remarks linking Trump to White supremacy, escalating tensions amid disputes on land reform and U.S.-South Africa relations.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has taken a bold stance by declaring South Africa's ambassador to the United States, Embrahim Rasool, as persona non grata. Rubio's decision comes in response to Rasool's incendiary remarks accusing former President Donald Trump of spearheading a global White supremacist movement.
Rasool, speaking at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA) in Johannesburg, connected Trump’s Make America Great Again campaign to demographic shifts in the U.S. and claimed it was a supremacist reaction to these changes. According to Rasool, the MAGA movement is "an assault on incumbency" and a response to projections showing the U.S. voting electorate becoming 48% White.
Rubio didn’t mince his words in a post on X, stating, "South Africa's Ambassador to the United States is no longer welcome in our great country. Emrahim Rasool is a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates @POTUS. We have nothing to discuss with him and so he is considered PERSONA NON GRATA."
This diplomatic fallout adds another layer to the already strained U.S.-South Africa relations, which have been under scrutiny due to South Africa's controversial land expropriation law. The law enables the government to seize land without compensation, a move that Trump had previously condemned, describing it as a shocking disregard for citizens' rights.
Trump’s administration issued an executive order in February penalizing South Africa over these practices. The order not only froze aid to the nation but also prioritized the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored racial discrimination. The executive order criticized South Africa's stance against Israel and its growing ties with Iran, which include military and nuclear collaborations.
The South African government, for its part, has defended the Expropriation Act, claiming it targets land needed for public purposes and guarantees "fair and equitable compensation." Officials maintain that Whites own approximately 70% of South Africa’s land, a statistic often used to justify the law.
Rubio’s expulsion of Rasool underscores the U.S.'s firm stance against what it perceives as discriminatory policies and anti-American rhetoric. While Rasool’s comments may have been intended to critique Trump’s policies, they’ve clearly struck a nerve in Washington.
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Editor's Comments
Rubio’s move might feel like a diplomatic mic drop, but labeling an ambassador 'persona non grata' is a rare and dramatic step. It’s fascinating how Rasool’s remarks on demographic shifts in the U.S. became the flashpoint for such a decisive reaction. The irony here? The ambassador’s comments might have been intended to provoke debate, but they’ve instead shut the door on dialogue entirely.
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