WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that South Africa’s ambassador to the United States “is no longer welcome” in the country. Rubio, in a post on X, accused Ebrahim Rasool of being a “race-baiting politician” who hates President Donald Trump and declared him “ persona non grata.” He didn’t give further reasoning. Related Articles National Politics | Federal judge considers blocking DOGE from accessing Social Security data of millions of Americans National Politics | Democratic Party fractures in government shutdown fight, with anger running high National Politics | MRNA vaccines, once a Trump boast, now face attacks from some in GOP National Politics | She co-founded the office that became DOGE. Now, she sees ‘irresponsible transformation’ National Politics | Voice of America ending contracts with Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France Presse The State Department did not have additional details, and it was unclear whether the ambassador was even in the U.S. at the time the decision was made. Rubio posted as he was flying back to Washington from a Group of 7 foreign ministers in Quebec. It comes after Trump signed an executive order that cut aid and assistance to the Black-led South African government. In the order, Trump said South Africa’s Afrikaners, who are descendants of mainly Dutch colonial settlers, were being targeted by a new law that allows the government to expropriate private land. The South African government has denied its new law is tied to race and says Trump’s claims over the country and the law have been full of misinformation and distortions. Phone calls to the South African Embassy seeking comment, made at the end of the work day, were not answered. ...read more read less