See every side of every news story
Published loading...Updated

Trump asks Liberian president where he learned English, his country's official language

UNITED STATES, JUL 9 – Trump praised Liberian President Joseph Boakai's English during a summit despite English being Liberia's official language and recent U.S. aid cuts amounting to $290 million, critics noted.

  • On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump hosted five African leaders, including Liberian President Joseph Boakai, at the White House and praised Boakai's English skills.
  • Trump asked Boakai, an English speaker from Liberia, where he had learned to speak so beautifully, which some observers found surprising given Liberia's official language.
  • Several Liberians, including youth advocate Archie Tamel Harris and a diplomat, expressed feeling insulted or that the comment was condescending given Liberia's English-speaking status.
  • Liberia's Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti explained to CNN that the Liberian president did not take offense, highlighting that the English spoken in Liberia is influenced by American English, a detail that President Trump acknowledged.
  • The event highlighted tensions surrounding perceptions of African leaders, with White House officials defending Trump’s remark as a heartfelt compliment amid calls for investment in African nations.
Insights by Ground AI
Does this summary seem wrong?

97 Articles

All
Left
19
Center
35
Right
16
WESHWESH
+18 Reposted by 18 other sources
Center

Trump praises 'good English' of Liberian president, prompting criticism

The African leader was educated in Liberia, where English is the official language.

·Florida, United States
Read Full Article
Lean Right

U.S. President Donald Trump starred in a striking moment this Wednesday in congratulating Liberian President Joseph Boakai for his command of English, even though it is the official language of that African country. The episode took place during a White House summit between Trump and five African leaders, where Boakai was the only one to address the Republican in English. “Thank you, and how good English, how beautiful. Where did you learn to sp…

·Mexico
Read Full Article
Lean Right

Liberian President Joseph Boakai was praised by Donald Trump for his English. In Liberia, English is the official language.

·Stockholm, Sweden
Read Full Article
Think freely.Subscribe and get full access to Ground NewsSubscriptions start at $9.99/yearSubscribe

Bias Distribution

  • 50% of the sources are Center
50% Center
Factuality

To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium

Ownership

To view ownership data please Upgrade to Vantage

News.de broke the news in on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.
Sources are mostly out of (0)