United States President Donald Trump sparked awkward moments during a White House lunch with African leaders on Wednesday when he complimented Liberian President Joseph Boakai on his English proficiency – despite English being Liberia’s official language.
The incident occurred after President Boakai, a business graduate who speaks English as his first language like most Liberians, delivered brief remarks at the diplomatic gathering. Trump responded with apparent surprise at the leader’s language skills.
“Thank you, and such good English… Where did you learn to speak so beautifully? Where were you educated?” Trump asked the Liberian president.
Boakai, whose face was turned away from media cameras but whose muted response suggested discomfort, indicated he had been educated in his home country. Undeterred, Trump continued his line of questioning despite being surrounded by French-speaking presidents from other West African nations.
“It’s beautiful English. I have people at this table can’t speak nearly as well,” Trump remarked.
The exchange highlighted a curious lapse in awareness about Liberia’s unique historical ties to the United States. US engagement in Liberia began in the 1820s when the American Colonization Society, funded by Congress and slaveholders, began sending freed slaves to its shores.
Thousands of Americo-Liberian settlers eventually declared independence in 1847, establishing a government that ruled over native African populations. While Liberia maintains a diverse linguistic landscape including indigenous languages like Kpelle (the largest linguistic group) and creolized dialects, English remains the country’s official language and lingua franca.
President Boakai, while fluent in English, can also read and write in Mendi and Kissi languages. The incident marks another diplomatic moment where Trump’s comments about African nations have raised eyebrows, following previous controversial remarks about “shithole countries” and questioning why Nigerian visitors to America wouldn’t want to return to their “huts.”
