President Donald Trump was enjoying the praise of a group of African leaders on Wednesday, many of them speaking a different language, when the president of Liberia took his microphone and spoke in English, the official language of his country.
“Liberia is a friend of the United States for a long time, and we believe in her policy of making the United States great again,” said President Joseph Boakai at a White House meeting before advocating American investment in his country. “We just want to thank you for this opportunity.”
Trump was impressed and asked where Boakai obtained his linguistic skills.
“So good English,” Trump said. “Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?”
Boakai seemed to laugh.
“In Liberia?” Trump asked. “Yes, sir,” Boakai said.
“That is very interesting,” Trump said. “I have people on this table that can’t speak so well.”
Liberia was founded in 1822 as a free black colony, the creation of White Americans who tried to address what they saw as a problem: the future for blacks in the United States once slavery ended. English is the official language of Liberia, although multiple indigenous languages are also spoken there.
