US President Donald Trump drew criticism on Wednesday after praising Liberian President Joseph Boakai for his “beautiful English,” seemingly unaware that English is Liberia’s official language.
During a White House meeting with five African leaders, Trump asked Boakai, “Such good English, it’s beautiful. Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?” Boakai replied that he had studied in Liberia. “That’s very interesting,” Trump said, adding, “I have people at this table who can’t speak nearly as well.”
Liberia, founded in 1822 by the American Colonization Society to resettle freed slaves from the United States, declared independence in 1847. Although the country is home to many local languages, English has long been the official language.
Trump’s remarks quickly drew backlash from some Liberians who saw them as patronizing and reflective of outdated stereotypes about Africa.
“I felt insulted because our country is an English-speaking country,” youth advocate Archie Tamel Harris said. “For him to ask that question, I don’t see it as a compliment. It shows the US president still views Africans as uneducated or living in villages.”
A Liberian diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, called the comment “a bit condescending to an African president who’s from an English-speaking nation.”
South African lawmaker Veronica Mente went further, posting on X, “What stops [Boakai] from standing up and leaving?”
The White House, however, defended Trump’s words. Massad Boulos, the administration’s senior advisor for Africa, said the meeting was “warm and respectful,” adding that “Africa has never had such a friend in the White House as President Trump.”
Deputy press secretary Anna Kelly described Trump’s remark as a “heartfelt compliment,” arguing that critics were misinterpreting his intent.
Liberian Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti also downplayed the controversy, saying President Boakai “was not offended.”
“What President Trump heard distinctly was the American influence on our English in Liberia,” Nyanti said. “We know English has different accents and forms, and for us, it was simply a recognition of a familiar sound.”
This is not the first time Trump has commented on foreign leaders’ English skills. He once praised German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for his “good English” and jokingly asked whether it was as strong as his German.
The incident comes as Trump continues to emphasize English as part of his “America First” agenda. Earlier this year, he signed an executive order designating English as the official language of the United States — a move that drew both domestic and international debate.
Trump has previously faced criticism for controversial remarks about Africa. In 2018, he reportedly referred to African nations as “shithole countries,” and earlier this year, he repeated discredited claims about attacks on White South African farmers.
Still, during Wednesday’s meeting with leaders from Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal, Trump struck a notably friendlier tone. He praised their nations as “vibrant places with valuable land, great minerals, great oil deposits, and wonderful people.”
President Boakai, for his part, responded diplomatically — even echoing Trump’s campaign slogan. “Liberia believes in the policy of making America great again,” he said.
