Washington DC

By Sabiu Abdullahi

United States President Donald Trump has drawn attention with remarks made during a meeting with African leaders at the White House, where he praised Liberian President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s English-speaking skills.

After Boakai delivered his remarks, Trump responded with visible admiration. “Such good English,” the president said.

He then asked, “Where were you educated? Where? In Liberia? Well, that’s very interesting. It’s beautiful English.”

He went further to say, “I have people at this table can’t speak nearly as well.”

The comments were made during a luncheon on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, attended by the leaders of Senegal, Gabon, Mauritania, and Guinea-Bissau, among others.

The gathering was held to deepen ties following a recent executive order signed by Trump to enhance U.S. mineral output, with a focus on collaboration with resource-rich African countries.

President Boakai, who studied at the University of Monrovia and previously served in various senior roles under former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, responded to Trump’s praise with a statement of friendship and alignment.

“Liberia is a longtime friend of the United States and we believe in your policy of making America great again,” Boakai said.

Trump’s remarks, however, sparked debate on social media and in the press. Some viewed them as complimentary, while others criticized the tone as condescending.

In defense of the president, a White House spokeswoman told The New York Times that “only the fake news could so pathetically pick apart President Trump’s heartfelt compliment during a meeting that marked a historic moment for U.S.-Africa relations.”

Liberia, located in West Africa and with a population of 5.7 million, was founded by freed Black Americans in the 1800s.

English is the country’s official language, although Liberian English and various indigenous languages are widely spoken.

The World Bank projects a 5 percent GDP growth for Liberia in 2025, driven largely by an expansion in the gold mining sector, along with improvements in agriculture and services.

The country’s reserves of rare Earth elements, including neodymium, have made it a point of interest for foreign investors, including the U.S.

Other African leaders at the White House also expressed interest in deepening economic cooperation with Washington and voiced support for policies that prioritize mutual benefit.

By Muhammad Jameel Yusha’u, PhD

Apart from hosting us in their house during the Thanksgiving holiday, Danielle Callaway Njama and her husband, Philip Njama, booked a ticket for us to visit the National Museum of African American History in Washington DC. It was another rich historical voyage. I strongly recommend visiting the museum if you happen to be in Washington DC.

The museum, formally launched by President Barack Obama in 2016, documents the history of slavery and the unspoken contribution of Africans to European and American economies.

Walking through the floors of the museum, an air of historical insecurity, goosebumps, and lamentation engulfs you. As you read through the stories of how the enslaved Africans were transported to Europe and North America in chains and other inhuman conditions, you feel the blood of sympathy circumambulating in your veins.

While these thoughts were going through my mind, there was sudden silence among my family. I turned back, and my eldest daughter was in tears, struggling to hold her emotions while reading through the stories of Africans like Ayoub Suleiman from The Gambia, who was enslaved in Maryland, and Mahommah Baquaqua from Benin, who was sold in Brazil and transported to New York.

Being a student of economic development, I couldn’t miss the section in the museum that estimated the value of cotton produced by African Americans to $250,000,000 in 1861; and the value assigned to enslaved African Americans at $3,059,000,000 in 1860. What is the value in today’s terms?

This is a difficult history, but as I have discussed many times with friends and colleagues, Africans shouldn’t allow themselves to be the psychological prisoners of the trauma caused by slavery. Yes, it is difficult, but Africans must move forward with zeal and unparalleled determination to write a glorious chapter of their story no matter the odds against them. Creating a path to development is the antibiotic to economic dependency.

Takeaway: Torturous lessons of history are difficult to ignore. It is the lessons from history that help determined communities to write a glittering chapter for future generations.

Muhammad Jameel Yusha’u, PhD, is a candidate for a Mid-Career Master’s in Public Administration at Harvard University, John F Kennedy School of Government. He can be reached via mjyushau@yahoo.com.