Overview

• President Trump’s compliment of Joseph Boakai’s English fluency exposed his unfamiliarity with Liberia’s official language and its 1822 founding by freed American slaves.
• Liberian President Boakai addressed the White House gathering in fluent English, praising US-Liberia ties and applauding the United States.
• Trump told West African leaders facing steep cuts in US foreign aid that they could expect deeper trade relations with the United States.
• Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani highlighted regional mineral wealth, including rare earths, manganese, uranium and potential lithium, to attract US investment.
• Trump’s description of these nations as dynamic and resource-rich underscored a broader US pivot from aid programs to resource-driven economic partnerships.