President Donald Trump demonstrated his hosting charm by telling the leaders of Latin American countries he invited to a meeting in Florida that he can’t be bothered to learn their “damn language.”
Speaking at the “Shield of the Americas” summit at his Doral golf course, Trump complained to the 12 regional heads of state that he would rather use an interpreter than invest the time to learn Spanish.
“I’m not learning your damn language,” Trump said. “I don’t have time.”
“I was OK with languages, but I’m not going to spend time learning your language; that much I won’t do,” he continued. “Just give me a good interpreter.”
Trump delivered his comments ahead of Secretary of State Marco Rubio—the son of Cuban immigrants—who gave comments in both English and Spanish.
“Is he better in Spanish or in English?” Trump asked as he returned to the podium to introduce the self-styled “Secretary of War” Pete Hegseth.
“Mr. President, I only speak American,” Hegseth joked to muted response.
The awkward dialogue from the pair was an attempt to smooth over the Trump administration’s transition to a new era of greater U.S. focus on its regional neighbors.
Approximately 14 percent of the U.S. population is native Spanish speakers, and almost 60 million people can speak the language, particularly in major metropolitan areas like New York City, where Trump was born and raised.
The 79-year-old president continued to share his thoughts on what makes a good interpreter, complaining that “a woman” he used recently appeared to cut his “long, flowing, beautiful” sentences down significantly.
“Their language may be efficient, but it’s not that efficient,” he said.
Trump is known for his long and often rambling speeches that frequently meander into unrelated topics, including the way Barack Obama climbs stairs, Hannibal Lecter, and the weight of his close friends.
His speech patterns have appeared to become more distorted in his second term, sparking health concerns.
The Shield of the Americas will reportedly be headed by Kristi Noem, who was summarily dismissed from her role as Department of Homeland Security Secretary earlier this week.
Without mentioning her swift job transfer, Noem later said at the conference that she was looking forward to delivering for the region what she had achieved for the U.S.
“Now that America is secure, and our borders are secure, we want to focus on our neighbors and help our neighbors with their borders and the challenges they have,” she said.
