Viral moment Donald Trump praises Liberian leader on English, his native tongue

A less than 20 second video of US President Donald Trump at a lunch with leaders has gone viral.

A less than 20 second exchange at a lunch between US President Donald Trump and African leaders has gone viral.

As the leaders sat around a table in the White House’s State Dining Room on Wednesday, Mr Trump praised the president of Liberia on his English-speaking skills and asked where he learnt to speak the language. However, English is the official language of the country.

“Thank you, and such good English,” Mr Trump told Joseph Boakai. (Watch in the video player above).

Mr Boakai took the compliment with a polite laugh.

“Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?” Mr Trump asked. “Were you educated? Where?”

“Yes, sir,” Mr Boakai said.

US President Donald Trump during a lunch with African leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. Picture: AP Photo/Evan Vucci

“In Liberia?” Mr Trump pressed.

“Yes, sir,” the Liberian president said again.

Mr Trump continued: “That’s very interesting. It’s beautiful English. I have people at this table who can’t speak nearly as well.”

Liberia was founded by African-Americans.

US engagement in Liberia began in the 1820s when the Congress- and slaveholder-funded American Colonization Society began sending freed slaves to its shores.

Thousands of “Americo-Liberian” settlers followed, declaring themselves independent in 1847 and setting up a government to rule over a native African majority.

The country has a diverse array of indigenous languages and a number of creolised dialects, while Kpelle-speakers are the largest single linguistic group.

Liberian President Joseph Boakai speaking during the multilateral lunch with US President Donald Trump and visiting African leaders. Picture: Jim Watson / AFP

Mr Boakai himself can read and write in Mendi and Kissi but converses in Liberia’s official tongue and lingua franca — English.

The awkward exchange quickly made headlines and was plastered across social media.

While some social media users labelled the moment “embarrassing” and slammed the US President for being ignorant, others shared they didn’t know English was the official language of the West African nation either.

— with AFP