Donald Trump caused an awkward moment on Wednesday during a meeting in Washington with the presidents of Liberia, Senegal, Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, and Gabon, by publicly praising Liberian President Joseph Boakai’s “good English,” apparently unaware that English is the official language of the African country.
“What good English!” Trump exclaimed after Boakai’s speech. “Where did you learn to speak so well?” the American president insisted, reformulating the question at least three times, as reported by The Washington Post.
Boakai responded politely that he learned the language in Liberia, to which Trump replied in astonishment: “Very interesting. It’s a beautiful language. There are people at this table who don’t speak as well.”
Liberia is a country founded by African slaves from the United States
The comment provoked reactions of annoyance in Liberia, where journalists, academics, and social media users criticized what they considered to be an ignorant and condescending comment. Several pointed out that the country was founded in 1822 by former African American slaves repatriated from the United States and that English has been its official language since then. In fact, the Liberian flag is a clear reference to that of the United States.
"It is not a compliment, it is a lack of basic knowledge," expressed Liberian historian Elwood Dunn on social media. Others pointed out that the comment reinforces colonial stereotypes and reflects a reductionist view of Africa.
Boakai, who was the only native English speaker among the invited leaders, reacted to the comment with a diplomatic smile without correcting the US president.
During the meeting, Trump also asked the leaders to limit their interventions to only saying “just their name and their country,” referring to a “very tight agenda.” However, the tone changed when some attendees praised his management and mentioned that he deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. “I didn’t know they were going to treat me so well. This is great. We could be like this all day,” he said then.
The summit aimed to strengthen commercial relations between the United States and the five invited African countries. Trump praised the region for its “great economic potential” and described Africa as a continent with “valuable lands, magnificent minerals, large oil fields, and wonderful people.”