Trump’s comments on Boakai’s English met with mixed reactions

Africanews (in English)

Trump’s comments on Boakai’s English met with mixed reactions  U.S. President Donald Trump’s praise for the “beautiful” English of Liberia’s President Joseph Boakai sparked confusion on Thursday in the English-speaking African nation, with many interpreting the comments as patronizing.  READ MORE : http://www.africanews.com/2025/07/11/trumps-comments-on-boakais-english-met-with-mixed-reactions  Subscribe on our Dailymotion channel and receive all the latest news from the continent.    Africanews is available in English and French.  Website : www.africanews.com  Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/africanews.channel/  Twitter : https://twitter.com/africanews

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00:00U.S. President Donald Trump's praise for the beautiful English of Liberia's President Joseph Boakai

00:06sparked confusion on Thursday in the English-speaking African nation,

00:11with many interpreting the comments as patronizing.

00:15Such good English, Trump stated to Boakai during an event at the White House visibly surprised.

00:22I don't think he knows liberal history, because if he knows liberal history, he will not ask that question.

00:28Yes, because if he knows liberals, but English-speaking country, he will not know whether it was a question or I don't know.

00:38But I don't think it was necessary.

00:41Although English has been the official language of Liberia since the country was founded in the 1800s,

00:48Trump asked Boakai where he had learned to speak the language so beautifully

00:52and continued as Boakai quietly answered.

00:56Liberia was founded by free slaves from the United States in the 19th century.

01:04Precisely in the 1820s, you had the American Colonization Society

01:12that helped to resettle former slaves from the Americas to West Africa.

01:18And they were the ones that led to the establishment of the republic or the nation that we call Liberia today.

01:27While a number of Liberians considered the remarks as an affront,

01:31Boakai's administration took no offense in the exchange that occurred on Wednesday

01:35during a meeting at the White House with Trump and five West African leaders.

01:40What's that news about?

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