Donald Trump praised Liberian President Joseph Boakai for speaking such good English, despite Liberias sole official language being English and its own history as a U.S. colony in the early 19th century.Boakai was one of several African leaders at the White House this week, and he remarked on Liberias long relationship with the U.S. Related Jasmine Crockett slams hypocrite Trump over shady way Melania got her visa: The math aint mathin She called it a joke that the president and the Republican party are claiming they want to restore integrity in the visa process. We want to work with the United States in peace and security within the region because we are committed to that, he said. And we just want to thank you so much for this opportunity. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Such good English, Trump responded. Such beautiful Where did you learn to speak so beautifully? Where were you educated? Where?Boakaisaid that he went to school in Liberia, laughing nervously. He attended the College of West Africa and the University of Liberia, both located in the countrys capital of Monrovia, which is named for American President James Monroe.Well, thats very interesting, he said. Its beautiful English. I have people at this table [who] cant speak nearly as well. Trump never misses an opportunity to be racist and wrong, and every day he finds a new way to be embarrassing, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) responded on social media. Asking the President of Liberia where he learned English when its literally the official language is peak ignorance.Trump never misses an opportunity to be racist and wrong, and every day he finds a new way to be embarrassing.Asking the President of Liberia where he learned English when its literally the official language is peak ignorance.Im pretty sure being blatantly offensive is not https://t.co/Jhvf9dvqZE Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (@RepJasmine) July 9, 2025 Trump was hosting Boakai as well as leaders from Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Mauritania, and Gabon for a three-day trade summit. He said that the point of the summit was to shift away from providing humanitarian aid to Africa and instead focus on increasing trade.He also stated that theres a lot of anger on your continent and claimed that weve been able to solve a lot of it, noting that his administration is working to secure peace in Sudan and Libya. Liberia was a project of the American Colonization Society, an early 19th-century group that sought to help people of African descent born in the Americas relocate to Africa. Over 15,000 African Americans and 3000 Afro-Caribbeans went to Liberia by the time the Civil War broke out in the U.S.Liberia currently criminalizes homosexuality, punishing it with a maximum sentence of three years. The U.N. has found serious, widespread violations of LGBTQ+ peoples rights in the Christian-majority country and has called for numerous reforms to protect LGBTQ+ rights there. Paradoxically, the country bans discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation in employment.Liberia is Africas oldest modern republic and one of two African countries, along with Ethiopia, to avoid colonization during the European Scramble for Africa.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.