By Tata Mbunwe
US President Donald Trump appeared surprised at how well Liberian President Joseph Boakai speaks English, despite English being the official language of Liberia.
At a White House dinner on Wednesday with heads of state from five African countries, Trump questioned how President Boakai managed to speak such fluent English without needing translation headsets—unlike the other leaders from Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, and Gabon.
“Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?” a visibly astonished Trump asked Boakai.
“Such good English. Where did you learn to speak so beautifully? Where? Were you educated? Where?”
Liberia is the only English-speaking country among the five African nations whose leaders have been meeting with Donald Trump for the past days.
The West African nation was founded, in part, by formerly enslaved Africans resettled from the United States in the 1800s. English has been its official language ever since and the country has historically shared close diplomatic ties with the United States.
Trump’s remarks have sparked discussions, with some US officials criticizing what they saw as ignorance, while others defended the remarks as a genuine compliment of the Liberian leader.
“Asking the President of Liberia where he learned English when it’s literally the official language is peak ignorance,” Representative Jasmine Crockett, Democrat of Texas, posted on social media, as quoted by The New York Times.
“I’m pretty sure being blatantly offensive is not how you go about conducting diplomacy.”
Michelle Gavin, former senior director for Africa at the National Security Council under President Barack Obama, described Trump’s comments as “embarrassing.”
She added that Trump “did not seem to be aware of the historical relationship between their countries.”
“What was made publicly available gave me the impression there was very little preparation for this meeting,” Gavin noted.
However, others within the Trump administration defended the president’s remarks.
Massad Boulos, the State Department’s senior adviser for Africa, said in a statement that “the president actually complimented the language skills of the Liberian president.”
“I was in the meeting, and everyone was deeply appreciative of the president’s time and effort,” he said.
“The continent of Africa has never had such a friend in the White House as they do in President Trump.”
Anna Kelly, a White House spokeswoman, also dismissed the backlash, stating: “Only the fake news could so pathetically pick apart President Trump’s heartfelt compliment during a meeting that marked a historic moment for U.S.-Africa relations.”
