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US President Donald Trump has been slammed as “ignorant” for praising the Liberian president for speaking “such good English” when it is in fact, the country’s national language.
The cringeworthy incident unfolded on Wednesday (9 July) during a meeting with several African leaders at the White House.
Trump complimented Liberia’s president, Joseph Boakai, on his English-speaking skills and asked him where he was educated.
Boakai laughed at the awkward moment but saved Trump’s blushes at the time by failing to mention that English is his country’s official language.
Trump told Boakai: “And such good English, that’s beautiful. Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?”
“Where were you educated? Where? In Liberia? Well, that’s very interesting. It’s beautiful English,” Trump continued. “I have people at this table can’t speak nearly as well.”
The viral clip has prompted some Americans to label their own country an “international embarrassment”.
“He managed to simultaneously look like an idiot, be condescending and use the ‘well spoken black man’ trope. We are an international embarrassment,” someone on X/Twitter wrote.
Another said: “My God, he’s such a f**king idiot.”
Someone else wrote: “Trump is aggressively ignorant. He does not learn, actively resists it, and has surrounded himself with people who enable his stupidity.”
"He embarrasses us on the world stage daily", another added.
Another pointed out: “Is Trump trolling or an idiot? Liberia was founded by a US NGO in 1822 to provide a sustainable way for freed slaves to return to the continent of Africa. It’s called Liberia to reflect their ‘Liberty’. Monrovia, the capital, was named after then US President James Monroe.”
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