Donald Trump went on about the president of Liberia’s ‘beautiful English’ – despite it being the African nation’s official language.
The US president seemed completely unaware about the national language while delivering what he intended to be an extended compliment to Liberian President Joseph Boakai.
Trump made his surprising remark after Boakai said during a meeting with other African leaders at the White House: ‘We want to work with the United States in peace and security within the region and we are committed to that, and we just want to thank you so much for your support.’
‘Well thank you, and such good English, that’s beautiful,’ Trump said, prompting laughs around the conference table.
‘Where did you learn to speak so beautifully? Where were you educated? Where? In Liberia?’
Boakai replied: ‘Yes.’
‘That’s very interesting. It’s beautiful English,’ Trump continued.
‘I have people at this table who can’t speak nearly as well.’
Liberia was established in 1847 and many descendants of freed American slaves were sent to live there. Though more than 20 indigenous languages are spoken in the West African country, its capital was named after America’s fifth president, James Monroe, who supported making it a state for freed slaves.
Boakai refrained from informing Trump about the official language during the lunch meeting with leaders from Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania and Senega, on Wednesday afternoon.
It was not the first time that Trump has made a controversial comment about an African leader or country.
In May, Trump ambushed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa with false claims that white Afrikaner farmers were genocide victims in a tense Oval Office meeting. Trump even told his staff to play a video of what he incorrectly said were the grave sites of more than 1,000 murdered white farmers.
Ramaphosa squirmed and calmly contested Trump’s baseless claims, but avoided a heated argument and said he was there ‘to reset the relationship between the United States and South Africa’.
Trump during his first term in 2018 also infamously called African nations and Haiti ‘s***hole countries’ in a meeting with senators.
On Wednesday, Trump told leaders from the five African countries that the US’s approach to the continent is ‘shifting from aid to trade’.
‘We’re working tirelessly to forge new economic opportunities involving both the United States and many African nations,’ Trump said.
‘There’s great economic potential in Africa, like few other places.’
Trump has cut aid to African nations and left them staggering. American aid to Liberia made up 2.6% of its gross national income, which was the highest percentage for any country in the world, the Center for Global Development found.
The US president also urged his African counterparts to help crack down on immigrants overstaying their visas in America.
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