“Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?”
It was Wednesday afternoon and President Trump was having lunch in the State Dining Room at the White House with five leaders of African nations. There were several different languages being spoken in the room. Headsets were worn by all so that translations could be heard.
But no headset was needed to understand what President Joseph Boakai of Liberia was saying. English is the official language of Liberia, which was founded in part as a movement to resettle free Black Americans in the 19th century.
Mr. Trump was impressed by what he heard.
“Such good English,” he remarked after Mr. Boakai spoke.
“Where did you learn to speak so beautifully,” Mr. Trump continued. “Where? Were you educated? Where?”
Mr. Boakai started to murmur appreciatively, and Mr. Trump continued: “In Liberia? Well, that’s very interesting. That’s beautiful English. I have people at this table can’t speak nearly as well.” There was some chuckling in the room.
Liberia has deep ties to the United States. Its founding was rooted in America’s “Back to Africa” movement and the American Colonization Society, a group formed in 1816 by philanthropists, abolitionists and some slave owners. That society, established in part as a response to rebellions of enslaved people, helped resettled free Black Americans in what would become Liberia.
Liberian leaders drew up a Constitution in 1847 based largely on the American Declaration of Independence.
“Asking the President of Liberia where he learned English when it’s literally the official language is peak ignorance,” Representative Jasmine Crockett, Democrat of Texas, said in a post on social media. “I’m pretty sure being blatantly offensive is not how you go about conducting diplomacy.”
Michelle Gavin, who helped prepare former President Barack Obama for meetings with foreign leaders as the senior director for Africa at the National Security Council, said Mr. Trump’s comments were “embarrassing.”
While she said she did not believe the moment would disrupt relations between the United States and Liberia, she said it sent a message to Liberians that Mr. Trump “did not seem to be aware of the historical relationship between their countries.”
“What was made publicly available gave me the impression there was very little preparation for this meeting,” Ms. Gavin said.
U.S. officials vigorously rejected the idea that Mr. Trump’s comments were disrespectful. Massad Boulos, the State Department’s senior adviser for Africa (and the father-in-law of Mr. Trump’s daughter Tiffany), said in a statement that “the president actually complimented the language skills of the Liberian president.”
“I was in the meeting, and everyone was deeply appreciative of the president’s time and effort,” he added. “The continent of Africa has never had such a friend in the White House as they do in President Trump.”
Anna Kelly, a White House spokeswoman, added in a statement: “Only the fake news could so pathetically pick apart President Trump’s heartfelt compliment during a meeting that marked a historic moment for US-Africa relations.”
Before Mr. Trump’s comments about Mr. Boakai’s English, the Liberian president made clear he wanted to work with the Trump administration on economic development. Mr. Boakai told Mr. Trump he believed in his policy of “Making America Great Again.”
Later in the day, the White House posted a photograph of Mr. Boakai smiling with Mr. Trump in the Oval Office.
Shawn McCreesh is a White House reporter for The Times covering the Trump administration.
Zolan Kanno-Youngs is a White House correspondent for The Times, covering President Trump and his administration.
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