During a White House lunch with African leaders on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump complimented Liberian President Joseph Boakai on his English-speaking skills, despite English being the official language of the West African nation.
After brief remarks from President Boakai, Trump reportedly asked the business graduate, “Thank you, and such good English… Where did you learn to speak so beautifully? Where were you educated?”
Boakai, who, like most Liberians, speaks English as a first language, indicated he had been educated in his native country.
His mumbled and laconic response, delivered while facing away from the media, suggested a hint of awkwardness.
Trump, surrounded by French-speaking presidents from other West African nations, continued to praise Boakai’s English, stating, “It’s beautiful English. I have people at this table can’t speak nearly as well.”
The text notes that U.S. engagement with Liberia dates back to the 1820s, when the American Colonization Society began sending freed slaves there, leading to the “Americo-Liberian” settlers declaring independence in 1847.
While Liberia’s official and lingua franca is English, the country boasts a diverse array of indigenous languages, with Kpelle speakers forming the largest linguistic group.
President Boakai himself is noted to be literate in Mendi and Kissi, in addition to conversing in English.
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