Donald Trump praised Liberian President Joseph Boakai for his strong grasp of the English language on Wednesday. But the African leader was educated in Liberia, where English is the official language.

As he hosted five African leaders at the White House, Trump asked Boakai: “Such good English, it’s beautiful. Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?”

Boakai informed Trump of his place of education, prompting Trump to express his curiosity. “That’s very interesting,” he said, “I have people at this table who can’t speak nearly as well.”

Several Liberians voiced their offense over Trump’s comment to Boakai, given the US president’s past remarks on African countries and the colonial legacy left by the US organization in Liberia.

“I felt insulted because our country is an English-speaking country,” Archie Tamel Harris, a Liberian youth advocate, told CNN.

  • samus12345@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    18·
    22 hours ago

    Liberia’s Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti told CNN that “there was no offense” from the Liberian president’s perspective and that “many people do not understand the linguistic borders or linguistic demography of the African continent.”

    Undiplomatic translation: “We’re used to Americans being ignorant as fuck.”