In what observers described as a curious moment during diplomatic engagements on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump commended Liberia’s President for speaking English so fluently. His remark raised eyebrows, given that English has been the official language of Liberia since its founding by freed African-Americans in the 19th century. While Trump may have intended the comment as a compliment, it landed awkwardly.

During a White House luncheon with African leaders on Wednesday, Donald Trump turned to Liberia’s President Joseph Boakai after his brief remarks and, with a note of curiosity, asked where he had learned to speak English so fluently. Boakai, a seasoned politician and business graduate, was addressing the gathering when Trump interjected with the question, seemingly unaware that English has long been Liberia’s official language.

“Thank you, and such good English… Where did you learn to speak so beautifully? Where were you educated?” Trump said.

Boakai, like the majority of Liberians for whom English is the mother tongue, replied quietly that he had received his education in Liberia. Facing away from the press, his expression was difficult to read, but his brief, almost muted answer carried a hint of discomfort.

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Still, Trump appeared unfazed by the awkward moment. Surrounded by other West African leaders, many of whom spoke French, he pressed further, as if genuinely puzzled by the Liberian president’s fluency.

“It’s beautiful English. I have people at this table can’t speak nearly as well,” he said.

American involvement in Liberia dates back to the 1820s when the American Colonization Society — backed by Congress and slaveholders — began relocating freed Black people to West Africa. Over the decades, thousands of these “Americo-Liberians” settled along the coast, eventually proclaiming the nation’s independence in 1847 and establishing a government that ruled over the region’s diverse indigenous populations.

Today, Liberia is home to numerous local languages and creole dialects, with Kpelle being the most widely spoken among ethnic groups. President Boakai himself is literate in Mendi and Kissi, yet English remains his primary language for daily communication, as it serves both as Liberia’s official language and its common lingua franca.