"Thank you, and such good English," Mr. Trump said, asking: "Where did you learn to speak so beautifully? Where were you educated?"

President Donald Trump was hosting West African leaders in Washington, where he praised the English of President of Liberia Joseph Boakai and asked where he learned it.

Michelle Gavin, who helped prepare former President Barack Obama for meetings with foreign leaders as the senior director for Africa at the National Security Council, said Mr. Trump’s comments were “...