Trump Missed It: English Has Been Liberia’s Official Language Long Before the United States
- Michael T
- Jul 10
- 2 min read
President Trump’s question to Liberian President Joseph Boakai—“Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?”—was intended as a compliment, but for many, it landed as a classic “complisult.” The irony is: Liberia made English its official language in 1847, nearly two centuries before the United States did. Any well-briefed host, especially at a high-level diplomatic summit, should be aware of this.
Trump’s approach at the summit is just the latest incident of his trademark. He has repeatedly demonstrated a tendency to dominate the spotlight, often at the expense of diplomatic norms and the comfort of his guests. Recent examples include ambushing the South African president with an unexpected Julius Malema video, which unsettled the visiting delegation , and mocking the Ukrainian president’s dress code in a separate meeting . At the summit with five West African presidents, Trump interrupted proceedings to urge the leaders to “wrap up quicker” due to a packed schedule—a move widely criticized as condescending and dismissive.
But did this tactic have any real effect on President Boakai? If anything, it exposed Trump’s lack of historical awareness and diplomatic sensitivity, rather than diminishing the stature of Liberia or its president. Liberia’s legacy as a center of education in Africa—home to one of the continent’s earliest higher education institutions and a destination for scholars in the 1960s and 1970s—before the nation’s progress was disrupted by an American-sponsored insurgency that lasted nearly 20 years.
So yes, Liberians speak English "beautifully"—often with eloquence and fluency too. And there are countless Liberians who speak far more fluently and with utmost eloquence than President Joseph Boakai. What happened at the meeting says far more about Trump’s unorthodox and self-centered diplomatic style than it does about Liberia. In the end, the “complisult” only exposed Trump’s ignorance, not Liberia’s capabilities.
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Additional Sources
Dunn, Elwood D. Historical Dictionary of Liberia, 2010.Mail & Guardian. “Trump’s Malema Video Ambush Riles South African Delegation.” July 2025.Politico. “Trump’s Unorthodox Diplomacy: Dress Code Jibe at Ukrainian President.” June 2025.BBC News. “Trump Tells African Leaders to ‘Wrap Up Quicker’ at Summit.” July 2025.Akpan, M.B. "Liberia and the Problem of Education," The Journal of Negro Education, 1974.Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Final Report, 2009.
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