Washington (TDI): US President Donald Trump recently praised Liberian President, Joseph Boakai, for his proficiency in English, on Wednesday.
However, the African leader was educated in Liberia, where English is the official language, which led to criticism across Africa.
Trump hosted five African leaders at the White House, where he asked Boakai, “Such good English, it’s beautiful. Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?” To which Boakai responded with his place of education.
Trump found it interesting and said, “That’s very interesting, I have people at this table who can’t speak nearly as well.”
Several Liberians took offence over Trump’s remarks to Boakai, considering the US President’s past remarks over African countries and the colonial legacy left by the US in Liberia.
A Liberian youth advocate, Archie Tamel Harris, told the media, “I felt insulted because our country is an English-speaking country. For him to ask that question, I don’t see it as a compliment. I feel that the US president and people in the West still see Africans as people in villages who are not educated.”
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Another Liberian diplomat felt the comment was “not so appropriate”, “it was a bit condescending to an African president who’s from an English-speaking nation”, he added.
Representative Jasmine Crockett, Democrat of Texas, said in a post on social media that it is peak ignorance asking the President of Liberia where he learned English when it’s his country’s official language.
“I’m pretty sure being blatantly offensive is not how you go about conducting diplomacy”, she added.
The White House defended Trump, and the deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said that Trump’s comment was a “heartfelt compliment” and that “reporters should recognize that President Trump has already done more to restore global stability and uplift countries in Africa and around the world than Joe Biden did in four years.”
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The US officials also rejected the idea that Trump insulted the Liberian President or that his comments were disrespectful. The State Department’s senior advisor for Africa, Massad Boulos, said in a statement that President Trump’s remarks were complimentary towards the Liberian President.
Moreover, Massad mentioned that he was in the meeting as well, and everyone was appreciative of President Trump’s efforts and time.
Liberia is a country that was founded in 1822 by the American Colonization Society, whose main focus was to resettle freed slaves in Africa.
The country declared its independence from the American Colonization Society in 1847, and a number of languages are spoken there today, with English as the official language.
An IR student whose interest lies in diplomacy and current affairs and a part time debater
