Donald Trump was visibly surprised when he addressed Joseph Boakai, Liberia’s President, but comments made to the 80-year-old politician have since caused a stir
Donald Trump has today been blasted as “condescending” after a remark to the President of Liberia.
The US President told Joseph Boakai, 80, he spoke “such good English” – but English has been the sole official language of Liberia since the country’s founding in the 1800s. The White House has declined to comment on whether Mr Trump was aware of this.
With visible surprise, Mr Trump, 79, told Mr Boakai, who came into power last year, he spoke “such good English”. Mr Trump added: “Such beautiful English” as he addressed the politician in the White House on Wednesday. The world leader continued: “Where were you educated? Where? In Liberia?”
For many observers, Mr Trump’s comments added to the sense of alarm and even betrayal over cuts in US aid to the African country. Foday Massaquio, chairman of Liberia’s opposition Congress for Democratic Change-Council of Patriots, said the remarks exemplified Mr Trump’s lack of respect for foreign leaders.
“President Trump was condescending, he was very disrespectful to the African leader,” Mr Massaquio said, adding the remark “proves that the West is not taking us seriously as Africans”.
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Mr Trump met five African leaders on Wednesday, amid a pivot from aid to trade in US foreign policy. While Mr Boakai’s government said it took no offence at the comments said during the meeting, citizens in Liberia expressed fury.
Moses Dennis, a 37-year-old businessman from Monrovia, said: “Liberia is a long standing friend of the USA, therefore Trump should have understood that we speak English as an official language.”
Liberia has had deep ties with the United States for centuries, stemming from the drive to relocate freed slaves from the United States. However, earlier this month, US authorities dissolved the US Agency for International Development, a move which sent shockwaves across Liberia.
American support previously had made up almost 2.6% of the gross national income, the highest percentage anywhere in the world, according to the Center for Global Development. Liberians thought they would be spared from Mr Trump’s cuts because of the countries’ close relationship. Their political system is modelled on that of the US, along with its flag. Liberians often refer to the US as their “big brother.”
And Mr Trump did receive some praise for his remarks to Mr Boakai. Abraham Julian Wennah, a researcher at the African Methodist Episcopal University, told reporters he believes the comments were “an acknowledgment of Boakai’s polish, intellect, and readiness for global engagement”.
But the academic added: “To some, the comment may carry a whiff of condescension, echoing a long-standing Western tendency to express surprise when African leaders display intellectual fluency.