Why Did the US Treasury Secretary Also Skip the G20 After the Secretary of State? An Unprecedented Absence

Key cabinet-level officials of Donald Trump's second term have decided not to attend the Group of Twenty (G20) summit, their first multilateral meeting. This G20 summit is an opportunity for newly appointed ministers to meet their counterparts from major countries, exchange views on economic issues through bilateral talks, and build relationships.

Scott Vestin, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, announced on the 19th (local time) that he will not attend the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting, which will be held over two days starting on the 26th in South Africa.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) that day, Secretary Vestin said he could not attend the G20 meeting due to duties he must handle in Washington, and that another senior official would attend in his place.

Some have speculated that Vestin's sudden decision to skip the G20 may be related to preparations for a possible summit between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which Trump indicated might take place later this month.

Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also decided not to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting held in South Africa on the 20th and 21st. Rubio cited South Africa's land expropriation policy and the meeting's agenda as reasons for his absence.

Rubio stated, "South Africa is doing very bad things. They are seizing private property and using the G20 to promote 'solidarity, equality, and sustainability.' In other words, they are promoting DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and climate change initiatives."

This was a direct criticism of South Africa's policy of land expropriation without compensation, which is part of efforts to address the legacy of apartheid.

Rubio also took issue with the theme of this year's G20 summit, "Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability," chosen by the host country South Africa. He argued that the theme promotes DEI policies, which President Trump and his supporters oppose as reverse discrimination against whites and men.

The New York Times (NYT) noted that it is highly unusual for both the U.S. Secretary of State and Treasury Secretary to skip the meeting. The Associated Press (AP) pointed out that this summit, where the U.S. leads in setting the international agenda and urges allies to cooperate, is especially important during the transition to a new administration.

Newly appointed ministers have the chance to meet counterparts from major countries like China and discuss international economic and tax policies behind the scenes. The Trump administration is leading major initiatives on megaton issues such as the trade war and negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

The background to this decision is interpreted as Trump-style unilateralism. According to the NYT, President Trump does not place much importance on multilateral meetings like the G20. Instead, he prefers bilateral negotiations based on America First principles.

If he judges that something does not benefit U.S. interests, he cuts ties with international organizations and treats allies as bargaining chips. On his first day in office, Trump withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization (WHO) and declared a comprehensive review of foreign aid.

He has threatened allies over defense cost-sharing and tariffs, and openly pursued expansionist aims such as acquiring Greenland or the Gaza Strip. While claiming to want to end the war in Ukraine, he excluded Ukraine and European allies from negotiations and instead engaged with the aggressor, Russia.

Moves such as displacing Palestinians to turn the Gaza Strip into a resort and siding against allies to negotiate peace with Russian President Vladimir Putin have drawn criticism both internationally and within the United States.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.