U.S. President Donald Trump is facing widespread criticism after praising Liberian President Joseph Boakai for his command of the English language during a meeting at the White House with five African leaders.
During the meeting on Wednesday, Trump turned to Boakai and said, “Such good English. It’s beautiful. Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?”
Highlights
- Trump praised Liberian President Boakai’s English, sparking backlash as English is Liberia’s official language.
- Liberian youth and diplomats called Trump’s remark condescending and rooted in outdated Western stereotypes.
- Liberia’s English has a strong U.S. influence due to its founding by freed slaves in the 1800s.
Boakai replied that he was educated in Liberia. Trump responded, “That’s very interesting. I have people at this table who can’t speak nearly as well.”
Donald Trump is facing criticism after praising the Liberian President Joseph Boakai’s English
Image credits: Mustafa Kamaci/Getty Images
Trump’s comments quickly drew backlash across Africa, especially from Liberians. Many pointed out that English is Liberia’s official language and that Boakai’s fluency is neither unusual nor surprising.
“I felt insulted because our country is an English-speaking country,” said Archie Tamel Harris, a youth advocate in Liberia.
“For him to ask that question, I don’t see it as a compliment. I feel that the US president and people in the West still see Africans as people in villages who are not educated.”
A Liberian diplomat, who asked to remain unnamed, told CNN the remark was “not appropriate” and “a bit condescending to an African president who’s from an English-speaking nation.”
On social media, users criticized Trump’s apparent ignorance of Liberia’s history.
Liberia was founded in the 1800s by freed slaves from the U.S., sent to West Africa by the American Colonization Society (ACS). The country’s capital, Monrovia, is named after U.S. President James Monroe, and English has been the official language since its founding.
Some African leaders and politicians expressed their disappointment as well. South African lawmaker Veronica Mente posted on X (formerly Twitter), asking, “What stops [Boakai] from standing up and leav[ing]?”
The White House quickly defended Trump’s statement.
Massad Boulos, a senior advisor on Africa, said in a statement to CNN, “I was in the meeting and everyone was deeply appreciative of the President’s time and effort. The continent of Africa has never had such a friend in the White House as they do in President Trump.”
Deputy press secretary Anna Kelly called Trump’s words a “heartfelt compliment.”
“Reporters should recognize that President Trump has already done more to restore global stability and uplift countries in Africa and around the world than Joe Biden did in four years,” she said.
Liberia is an English-speaking country with historical ties to the U.S.
Image credits: The White House/ Flickr
Liberian officials also tried to ease tensions. Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti told CNN that Boakai did not take offense.
“Many people do not understand the linguistic borders or linguistic demography of the African continent,” she said. “What President Trump heard distinctly was the American influence on our English in Liberia, and the Liberian president is not offended by that.”
“We know that English has different accents and forms, and so him picking up the distinct intonation that has its roots in American English for us was just recognizing a familiar English version,” she added.
Trump has made similar comments to foreign leaders in the past. During a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump praised Merz’s English and asked if it was as good as his German.
Merz responded that he tries to “understand almost everything” and said he makes an effort “to speak as good as [he] can.”
This is not the first time Trump has made remarks about Africa: In 2018, he referred to African nations and others as “sh*thole countries.”
In May, Trump unexpectedly confronted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House with a video alleging a “white genocide” of farmers—a claim that was debunked when it emerged that part of the footage was from a 2020 protest, not actual graves as Trump suggested.
During Trump’s Wednesday meeting with leaders from Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal, he praised their countries as “all very vibrant places with very valuable land, great minerals, great oil deposits, and wonderful people.”
Trump met with leaders from five African countries at the White House on Wednesday
Image credits: Win McNamee/Getty Images
The African leaders responded warmly. President Boakai even said Liberia “believes in the policy of making America great again.”
In 1822, Liberia was formed by the ACS to resettle freed African Americans in West Africa. Freed Black settlers from the U.S., known as Americo-Liberians, formed the ruling class.
Liberia declared independence in 1847, creating Africa’s first republic. Its government and society were heavily influenced by American ideals and structures of education, constitution, religion, and language used by the government.
Image credits: Getty Images
However, decades later, the country faced severe challenges under Charles Taylor’s regime. Taylor’s brutal civil war and crimes against humanity plunged Liberia into violence, marked by child soldiers, murder, torture, and human rights abuses.
While the country recovered from that, it is now reeling from the suspension of USAID, whose aid once made up about 2.6% of Liberia’s gross national income.
Yet after the White House meeting Wednesday, Liberian President Joseph Nyuma Boakai “expressed optimism about the outcomes of the summit, reaffirming Liberia’s commitment to regional stability, democratic governance and inclusive economic growth,” a statement said.