By Lydia O’Connor
President Donald Trump heaped praise on Liberian President Joseph Boakai鈥檚 English skills Wednesday, seemingly unaware that English is the country鈥檚 official national language.
鈥淪uch good English. That鈥檚 beautiful. Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?鈥 Trump asked Boakai during a White House lunch with African leaders.
鈥淲here? Were you educated? Where? In Liberia? Well, that鈥檚 very interesting. It鈥檚 beautiful English,鈥 Trump continued as Boakai appeared to laugh politely. 鈥淚 have people at this table can鈥檛 speak nearly as well.鈥
English is the primary language spoken in Liberia, and much of its population is made up of the descendants of African Americans who fled slavery in the United States.
The country was first established as a colony in 1822 by the American Colonization Society 鈥 made up of slavery-opposing Quakers and slaveholders fearing rebellion from freed slaves 鈥 who sought to resettle freed and freeborn Black Americans in Africa. Liberia declared its independence in 1847, and the US re