In a post on X, Rubio accused Ebrahim Rasool of hating America and President Donald Trump and described him as a "race-baiting politician".

The office for South Africa's president on Saturday called the decision "regrettable", adding that the country remained committed to building a mutually beneficial relationship with America. The rare move by the US marks the latest development in rising tensions between the two countries.

In his post on Friday, Rubio linked to an article from the right-wing outlet Breitbart that quoted some of Rasool's recent remarks made during an online lecture about the Trump administration."What Donald Trump is launching is an assault on incumbency, those who are in power, by mobilising a supremacism against the incumbency, at home and abroad," Rasool said at the event.

He added that the Maga movement was a response "to very clear data that shows great demographic shifts in the USA in which the voting electorate is projected to become 48 percent white". In response, Rubio called Rasool "PERSONA NON GRATA," referencing the Latin phrase for "unwelcome person". The post from Rubio came as he departed Canada from a meeting with foreign ministers. Ties between the US and South Africa have been deteriorating since Trump took office.

The US president signed an executive order last month that freezes assistance to South Africa. The order references "egregious actions" by South Africa and cites "unjust racial discrimination" against white Afrikaners - those who descended from Dutch settlers. The South African government has repeatedly denied this. (BBC/Getty Images)