A seemingly innocuous compliment from President Donald Trump to Liberian President Joseph Boakai has become a point of diplomatic intrigue and online debate. During a recent White House meeting with a group of African leaders, Mr. Trump, after hearing brief remarks from Boakai, praised the Liberian president's English-speaking skills. He asked, "Where did you learn to speak so beautifully? Where were you educated?" a question that immediately created a moment of awkwardness.
What Mr. Trump appeared to be unaware of is that English is the official language and primary tongue of Liberia, a nation with deep historical ties to the United States. Founded in the 1820s by the American Colonization Society, a group that sent freed slaves to its shores, Liberia's connection to the U.S. is centuries old. The country's constitution and flag were even modeled after America's, and English has been its official language since the 1800s. President Boakai, a business graduate, responded to Trump's inquiry by indicating that he was educated in his own country. While Boakai is also fluent in indigenous languages like Mendi and Kissi, his primary mode of communication remains English.
The exchange was captured by the media, though Boakai's face was turned away from the cameras, making his immediate reaction difficult to decipher. However, his "laconic, mumbled response hinted at awkwardness." The media's coverage of the event was also mixed. The Daily Observer, one of Liberia's most widely read newspapers, described the exchange as Mr. Trump "jokingly inquired" about Boakai's English, while other outlets omitted the brief exchange entirely.
This incident, however, does not exist in a vacuum. It fits into a broader, and at times contentious, history of Mr. Trump's relations with African nations. During his first term, he faced a significant diplomatic backlash for allegedly referring to African nations as "s***hole countries," a claim he has denied. More recently, he has been criticized for amplifying claims of "white genocide" in South Africa and for his administration's shift from a foreign aid model to one based on trade, which has led to significant tariffs on African exports.
The meeting with Boakai and other West African leaders was framed as an opportunity to shift U.S. foreign policy toward a "trade not aid" approach. Mr. Trump told the leaders that he was committed to strengthening friendships in Africa, and he complimented the countries for being "very vibrant places with very valuable land, great minerals, great oil deposits and wonderful people." But for many, the compliment to the Liberian president's English skills overshadowed the policy discussions and served as a reminder of the need for a more nuanced and informed approach to U.S.-Africa relations.
