During his first term, Donald Trump sparked outrage across Africa and the Caribbean when he allegedly referred to Haiti and African nations as โsh-thole countries.โ
But on Wednesday, the U.S. president struck a noticeably different tone โ although one comment still left critics fuming.
While meeting with Liberian President Joseph Boakai, Trump praised him for his โexcellent English.โ
What he seemed unaware of, however, is that English is Liberiaโs official language โ and Boakai was educated in his home country.
One offhand comment
Donald Trumpโs foreign policy toward Africa has been marked by controversy. He cut millions in humanitarian aid and granted refugee status to white South African farmers while restricting travel from several majority-Black nations.
In a bid to push back against Chinaโs rising influence in Africa and strengthen ties with the continent, Trump welcomed the leaders of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, and Senegal to the White House on Wednesday. The meeting, focused on boosting business relations, marked what Trump called a shift in strategy, moving โfrom aid to trade.
โWe treat Africa far better than China or anybody else,โ Trump declared.
He praised the visiting nations as โvibrant places with very valuable land, great minerals, great oil deposits, and wonderful people.โ
But one offhand comment to Liberiaโs President Joseph Boakai is drawing fire online and reigniting criticism over Trumpโs past remarks about Africa.
President Trump to Liberian President Joseph Boakai: "Thank you and such good English, such beautiful. Where did you learn to speak so beautifully, where? Were you educated, where? In Liberia?" pic.twitter.com/WZ2LR5JZcb
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 9, 2025
During the meeting, Boakai thanked Trump for the opportunity to collaborate on peace and security. Thatโs when Trump cut in.
โThank you. And such good English. Such beautiful. Where did you learn to speak so beautifully? Where were you educated? Where?โ
Boakai calmly replied that he was educated in Liberia โ where English is the official language. Trumpโs reaction?
โThatโs very interesting. Beautiful English! I have people at this table who canโt speak nearly as well.โ
โPeak ignoranceโ
The comment, intended as a compliment, immediately lit up social media and diplomatic circles.
โI felt insulted because our country is an English-speaking country,โ said Archie Tamel Harris, a Liberian youth advocate, in an interview with CNN.
โFor him to ask that question, I donโt see it as a compliment. I feel that the U.S. president and people in the West still see Africans as people in villages who are not educated.
Liberia is a country on the west coast of Africa with about 5 million people. English is its official language.
It was founded in 1822 by the American Colonization Society, a group that wanted to resettle freed slaves from the U.S. Liberia became an independent nation in 1847.
A Liberian diplomat, speaking anonymously, called Trumpโs words โa bit condescending.โ And Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) didnโt hold back on X:
โTrump never misses an opportunity to be racist and wrong, and every day he finds a new way to be embarrassing. Asking the President of Liberia where he learned English when itโs literally the official language is peak ignorance.โ
Even South African politician Veronica Mente chimed in online, questioning why Boakai didnโt just walk out.
Not the first time
This isnโt Trumpโs first time under fire for how he addresses non-Western leaders. As mentioned, he infamously referred to Haiti and several African countries as โshithole nationsโ in 2018.
Though he denied the term, Senator Dick Durbin, who was in the meeting, said Trump made โhate-filled, vile and racistโ comments, and repeated them.
In the years since, Trump has doubled down on English-first rhetoric. In March, he signed an executive order declaring English the official language of the U.S. And in past meetings, heโs openly judged foreign leaders by how โnicelyโ they speak.
During a meeting with Germanyโs Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump asked,
โIs your English as good as your German?โ
Merz replied with a laugh, โI try to speak as good as I can.โ
Heโs also sidestepped reporters based on how they speak.
Trump initially asked the reporter to speak louder, then interrupted, saying, โI canโt understand a word heโs saying. Itโs the accent, itโs a little bit tough for me,โ before moving on. pic.twitter.com/vrpAeByRez
— ๐ชุฌุง๐๐๐ (@jakenzdonald) April 27, 2025
โI canโt understand a word heโs saying. Itโs the accent,โ Trump said of an Indian journalist in February.
Speaking to an Afghan reporter, he offered: โBeautiful accentโฆ only problem is I canโt understand a word.โ
White House: โIt was a complimentโ
Despite the uproar, the Trump administration insists the Liberia remark was meant kindly.
โThe continent of Africa has never had such a friend in the White House as they do in President Trump,โ said Massad Boulos, senior advisor for Africa.
White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly echoed the sentiment, calling it a โheartfelt compliment.โ
Even Liberiaโs Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti defended the moment:
โThere was no offenseโฆ What President Trump heard distinctly was the American influence on our English in Liberia, and the Liberian president is not offended by that.โ
The African leaders also expressed appreciation โ and even admiration โ for Trump. Boakai said Liberia supports Trumpโs global vision, adding: โWe believe in the policy of making America great again.โ
But some critics argue that Trumpโs โbusiness-firstโ approach still lacks substance.
โChinese success in Africa is perhaps partly due to the failure of U.S. foreign policy,โ wrote Chinese political scientist Wenfang Tang last year, noting that while the U.S. often takes a โmoralisticโ tone, China treats Africans as โcomrades and business partners.โ
Was Trumpโs comment a genuine compliment โ or just another tone-deaf remark rooted in outdated views about Africa?
Some say it was a friendly nod to Liberiaโs American ties. Others see it as another example of condescension toward a continent heโs repeatedly offended. What do you think โ harmless praise, or a diplomatic blunder?
