Sat Mar 15 02:05:24 UTC 2025: ## US Expels South Africa’s Ambassador, Citing ‘Race-Baiting’ Remarks

**Washington, D.C. –** In a dramatic escalation of tensions between the United States and South Africa, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared South Africa’s Ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, persona non grata on March 14, 2025. The expulsion, highly unusual in diplomatic relations, followed a webinar address by Ambassador Rasool where he discussed the Trump administration’s policies on diversity, equity, and immigration.

Secretary Rubio, in a post on X, accused Ambassador Rasool of being a “race-baiting politician” who “hates America and hates @POTUS.” He cited a Breitbart article detailing Rasool’s comments about demographic shifts in the US and the rise of the MAGA movement. Rasool’s remarks, while delivered in academic terms, analyzed the Trump administration’s actions within the context of a changing US demographic landscape. He also criticized Elon Musk’s outreach to far-right figures, calling it a “dog whistle” to an “embattled white community.”

The State Department offered no immediate explanation for the expulsion, a move that has drawn parallels to Cold War diplomatic tensions, yet without the same level of reciprocal actions seen during those periods. Previous instances of similar actions between the US and Russia, even during heightened tensions, did not involve the expulsion of ambassadors.

The decision comes amidst ongoing friction between the Trump administration and the South African government over a new land reform law. President Trump has accused the law of discriminating against the country’s white Afrikaner minority, a claim the South African government vehemently denies. Mr. Trump has even announced plans to offer Afrikaners refugee status in the US. Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency, has also been vocal in his criticism of the South African government on social media.

Ambassador Rasool, who previously served as ambassador from 2010 to 2015, is a prominent anti-apartheid activist and former member of the African National Congress. He offered measured advice in his webinar, suggesting against antagonizing the US. Despite this, his expulsion marks a significant escalation in the already strained relationship between the two nations. Attempts to reach the South African Embassy for comment were unsuccessful.

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