Liberians reacted with a mix of anger and weary resignation Thursday after discovering that the leader of their country’s closest bilateral partner does not appear to know what language they speak.
At a meeting at the White House on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump responded to brief remarks from his Liberian counterpart, Joseph Boakai, by marvelling at his “beautiful” English and asking where he learned it.
This has resulted in much eye-rolling and plenty of frustration, as English is the official language of Liberia, a country founded in 1822 as a colony for free Black Americans.
Government statements are published in standard English while spoken Liberian English reflects influences from pidgin and Indigenous languages used across the country of around 5.5 million people.
U.S. President Donald Trump hosted the leaders of several African countries on Wednesday at the White House. After Liberian President Joseph Boakai spoke about wanting to work with the U.S., Trump praised Boakai’s ‘beautiful English’ and asked him where he’d been educated.
Liberians sometimes refer to the U.S. as their “big brother,” but not everyone was surprised that Trump’s knowledge of the country did not seem to reflect that closeness.
Fatumata Binta Sall, a Liberian feminist activist who travels frequently to the U.S., told Reuters that Trump’s amazement at Boakai’s fluency in English was all too familiar.
“Many times, I’ve had Americans ask me whether I studied abroad or where I learned to speak ‘so well,’ ” she said.
Such remarks indicate her country “isn’t visible in the minds of many Americans,” she said, noting that she’s attended international conferences “to remind the world that Liberia exists.”
‘Disrespect and entitlement disguised as praise’
William V.S. Tubman III, a Liberian writer and the grandson of former Liberian president William Tubman, voiced frustration at what he described as Trump’s lack of respect.
“Praising an African head of state for speaking English ‘so beautifully’ isn’t a compliment, it’s a reflection of how deeply colonial thinking continues to shape expectations,” he said.
“What Trump said wasn’t ignorance. It was disrespect and entitlement disguised as praise.”
Massad Boulos, Trump’s senior adviser for Africa, said no one in the room was bothered by Trump’s remark.
“I was in the meeting and everyone was deeply appreciative of the president’s time and effort,” Boulos said in a statement.
The White House shared a separate statement from Liberia’s foreign minister, Sara Beysolow Nyanti, stressing that Boakai himself also took no offence.
“What President Trump heard distinctly was the American influence on our English in Liberia, and the Liberian president is not offended by that,” she said.
“We know that English has different accents and forms, and so him picking up the distinct intonation that has its roots in American English for us was just recognizing a familiar English version.”
Liberian president touted mineral assets
Some residents of the Liberian capital Monrovia also chose to highlight what they saw as the positive aspects of the visit.
Boakai’s inclusion on the guest list gave him an opportunity to tout Liberia’s mineral assets and history of democratic elections.
And his status as the only anglophone — in a group that also included leaders of Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Gabon and Mauritania — clearly made an impression on his host.
“In terms of his grammar, the way that he spoke, I think it shows that Boakai has a solid foundation in his education in Liberia,” radio journalist Augustus Caine said.
A front-page story in The Analyst newspaper said Boakai had been “eloquently conveying Liberia’s critical interests” and “attracting the host’s admiration.”
The headline featured a rarely used English word that Trump himself was credited with reviving during his first run for the White House in 2016.
“Trump’s Invite of Liberia Scores ‘Bigly’,” it read.
