Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) couldn’t resist the opportunity to call President Donald Trump racist after he made a small gaffe during his meeting with the president of Liberia.
The lawmaker on Wednesday called Trump “racist and wrong” for his comments during his meeting with Liberian President Joseph Boakai.
“We want to work with the United States in peace and security within the region because we are committed to that,” Boakai said. “And we just want to thank you so much for this opportunity.”
President Trump responded, complimenting the Liberians for their mastery of the English language. “It's such good English…Where did you learn to speak so beautifully? Were you educated where? In Liberia?”
“Yes,” Boakai responded.
“That's very interesting. It's beautiful English. Sure. I have people at this table who can't speak nearly as well,” Trump said.
President Trump to Liberian President Joseph Boakai: "Thank you and such good English, such beautiful. Where did you learn to speak so beautifully, where? Were you educated, where? In Liberia?" pic.twitter.com/WZ2LR5JZcb
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 9, 2025
Okay, for those who might not be familiar with Liberia’s history, here’s a quick explanation. The reason Liberians speak good English is that the nation was founded in 1821 by the American Colonization Society. This was a group of white Americans — including some abolitionists — who set out to resettle freed slaves in Africa.
The idea was motivated by a mixture of racial prejudice among those who did not want black people to remain in America after the US ended chattel slavery. However, some were fueled by economic and humanitarian interests, believing that the former slaves would fare better back in their homeland since they would not have to deal with racial hostility as they did in the United States.
The former slaves established the state of Liberia in 1847. The nascent country’s government was modeled after the US Constitution. Since these individuals spoke English and brought American customs with them, it is the country’s primary language to this day.
This is where Crockett decided that Trump’s lack of understanding of Liberian history is more proof that he is basically a Klansmen in the White House.
“Trump never misses an opportunity to be racist and wrong, and every day he finds a new way to be embarrassing,” she wrote in a post on X. “Asking the President of Liberia where he learned English when it’s literally the official language is peak ignorance.”
Trump never misses an opportunity to be racist and wrong, and every day he finds a new way to be embarrassing.
— Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (@RepJasmine) July 9, 2025
Asking the President of Liberia where he learned English when it’s literally the official language is peak ignorance.
I’m pretty sure being blatantly offensive is not… https://t.co/Jhvf9dvqZE
President Boakai did not seem offended by Trump’s comments and laughed them off. In fact, Crockett was more offended that he was. But it wasn’t because of racism.
How do I know?
Because she had nothing to say when former President Joe Biden made racist remarks. "Unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community with incredibly different attitudes about different things,” Biden said in 2020 while discussing voter outreach with Black and Hispanic journalists.
Of course, we can’t forget when Biden appointed himself as the arbiter of blackness during the campaign. “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black,” he said on a black radio show.
In fact, it is doubtful that Crockett would ever publicly criticize a member of her team for making racist comments.
At the end of the day, Trump’s comments were not racist — they were just uninformed. I’d wager most Americans are unaware of Liberia’s history and ties to the United States. I’d file his comments as uninformed, but well-meaning — as I would if Biden or another Democrat had made the same mistake.
The problem with folks like Crockett is that they do not view racism as a societal evil to be vanquished. Instead, they view it as little more than a political weapon to use against political opponents, which is why they are rather selective when it comes to their condemnations.