US Expels South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, Calls Him A Race-Baiting Politician Who Hates Trump

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Friday that South Africa’s ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool, is “no longer welcome” in the country. This marks the latest move by the Trump administration against the African nation.

Race-Baiting Politician Who Hates Trump

Rubio made the announcement via a post on X, accusing Rasool of being a “race-baiting politician” with an anti-Trump stance. “The South African diplomat is now persona non grata,” Rubio stated. Neither the State Department nor Rubio provided further immediate clarification regarding the decision. However, Rubio linked his post to a Breitbart article covering a webinar in which Rasool discussed the Trump administration’s policies in the context of shifting demographics in the United States.

Rasool’s remarks came during a webinar hosted by a South African think tank earlier on Friday. In his talk, Rasool spoke about the Trump administration’s stance on diversity, equity programs, and immigration. He described these policies as part of a “supremacist assault on incumbency.”

“We see it in the domestic politics of the USA—the MAGA movement, the Make America Great Again movement—as a response not simply to a supremacist instinct but to very clear data that shows great demographic shifts in the USA, in which the voting electorate is projected to become 48% white,” Rasool stated.

Ebrahim Rasool Takes on Musk

He also referenced Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s engagement with far-right figures in Europe, calling it a “dog whistle” aimed at mobilizing a global movement of individuals who perceive themselves as an “embattled white community.”

Despite these critical observations, Rasool did not make a direct attack on former President Donald Trump. Instead, he urged a strategic approach in dealing with his administration. “This is not a moment to antagonize the United States,” Rasool advised. “Let’s avoid things that cock a snoot at the United States.”

Ebrahim Rasool, who previously served as South Africa’s ambassador to the United States from 2010 to 2015, resumed the position in January. A lifelong activist against apartheid, Rasool and his family were forcibly evicted from a Cape Town neighborhood designated for white residents during his childhood. He became involved in anti-apartheid efforts, was imprisoned for his activism, and later emerged as a prominent figure in Nelson Mandela’s African National Congress (ANC) party.

Trump Administration’s Actions Against Ebrahim Rasool and South Africa

The expulsion of Rasool follows a broader campaign by the Trump administration against South Africa’s Black-led government. Recently, Trump signed an executive order cutting aid and assistance to the country, citing concerns over a new land law that he claims discriminates against white landowners.

Trump and Musk have been vocal in their criticism of the law, arguing that it unfairly targets South Africa’s Afrikaner population—descendants of mainly Dutch colonial settlers. The South African government has rejected these claims, asserting that the law is not based on race.

The law allows the government to expropriate land under specific conditions, such as when land is unused or when redistribution serves the public interest. The policy aims to address historical injustices from the apartheid era, during which Black South Africans were forcibly removed from their land.

Misinformation Surrounding Land Expropriation

Despite Trump’s claims that Afrikaners are being dispossessed, no land has been expropriated under the new law. The South African government has consistently stated that Trump’s assertions are based on misinformation and distortions of the actual policy.

In addition to cutting aid, Trump has proposed granting refugee status to Afrikaners, a group that represents only a fraction of South Africa’s white minority.

Musk, who heads Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, has played a significant role in amplifying concerns over the South African land law. Using his platform on X, Musk has framed the policy as a threat to South Africa’s white minority.

Earlier this month, Musk also accused South Africa’s government of racial bias in business dealings. “They refused to do business with Starlink because I’m not Black,” he wrote in a post on X, suggesting that his company was deliberately excluded.

South African Embassy Remains Silent

As of Friday, the South African Embassy in Washington had not issued an official response to Rasool’s expulsion. Phone calls to the embassy seeking comment went unanswered as the workday came to a close.

While it is rare for the U.S. to expel a foreign ambassador, it is more common for lower-ranking diplomats to be declared persona non grata. Even during Cold War tensions and diplomatic conflicts with Russia, such as the 2014 annexation of Crimea and allegations of election interference, Washington and Moscow refrained from expelling each other’s ambassadors.

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