On July 9, five African leaders arrived at the White House for a summit with President Donald Trump, expecting to discuss trade and opportunity. Instead, they were met with a performance of American ignorance and condescension.
“We want to work with the United States in peace and security within the region because we are committed to that and we just want to thank you so much for this opportunity,” Liberian President Joseph BoakaiBoakai said.
President Trump responded: “Thank you. And such good English. Such beautiful. Where did you learn to speak so beautifully? Where were you educated? Where?”
When Boakai answered that he learned the language in Liberia, Trump responded: “That’s very interesting. Beautiful English! I have people at this table who can’t speak nearly as well.”
Instead of challenging the insult, Boakai nodded politely and said, “Thank you, sir. Thank you very much.”
It doesn’t surprise me that Trump has not one drop of shame as a representative of the United States to be this uneducated about the people whom he invited to the White House. I also expected more from African leaders to speak up to Trump’s ignorance. This is why learning history is important.
English is the official language of Liberia, a West African country founded in 1822 by the American Colonization Society to resettle freed slaves and declare independence in 1847.
Trump’s latest comments are just another chapter in his history of publicly disrespecting Black nations. In 2018, he notoriously referred to Haiti and African countries as “shithole countries” during a closed-door immigration meeting, sparking global outrage and accusations of racism.
In 2017, he praised the healthcare system of “Nambia”, a country that doesn’t exist, at a UN luncheon with African leaders. The White House later claimed he meant Namibia, but the damage was done. The moment captured Trump’s habitual lack of basic geopolitical knowledge.
In 2025, the pattern continues. While discussing migration, Trump claimed the Congo was sending prisoners to the U.S. and added, “I don’t know what the Congo is.”
He dismissed also Lesotho during a congressional speech, saying, “No one’s ever heard of it,” while smearing U.S. HIV/AIDS aid to the country as a tool to “promote the LGBTQIA+ agenda.”
In his second term, he has championed white nationalist talking points, spreading false claims of “white genocide” in South Africa, granting refugee privileges to white Afrikaners while imposing new travel restrictions that disproportionately target majority-Black African nations.
He’s also gutted humanitarian assistance to the continent. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), once a critical source of funding for food, health and infrastructure programs, has been dismantled under Trump’s leadership. Millions of Africans now face life-threatening consequences because of it.
Humanitarian aid in Africa is often criticized for its ineffectiveness due to factors like corruption, dependency, and market distortions, which can undermine local economies and create dependency cycles, and for failing to reach those in need. These are the many challenges these African leaders should address instead of being puppets to Western leaders.
To many, these moves reflect Trump’s apparent disregard for the continent. But Africa’s importance to the global future is undeniable. A January 2025 Brookings Institution paper noted, “Africa is increasingly recognized as the next frontier for global economic growth. Its potential is vast, characterized by diverse natural resources, a burgeoning youth population and untapped innovation.”
Yet, African leaders, Boakai among them, continue to treat Trump with deference. The July 9 summit was framed as a shift “from aid to trade,” but Trump’s simultaneous imposition of tariffs on African nations like Algeria and Libya made the optics clear that the U.S. talks partnership while practicing punishment.
Too many African leaders have become too comfortable being patronized in exchange for handshakes, photo ops and vague promises.
But the era of quiet diplomacy in the face of disrespect must end. Africa is no one’s charity case. It is a continent of leverage, resources, talent and vision. The West, especially the U.S., should no longer be treated as the only game in town.
Black nations must stop showing up at the table just to be insulted. Sovereignty doesn’t mean silence. It means knowing when to say no, even to a superpower.
If America won’t raise its level of engagement, Africa must raise its standards.
