WHEN WORLD LEADERS PRETEND TO UNDERSTAND ENGLISH

Hearing world leaders speak English on television, I often find myself recalling Donald Trump’s blunt remark: “I don’t understand a word they are saying!” Crude and impolite—true to character—but refreshingly unvarnished. He said aloud what others merely think.

Few ever question the actual intelligibility of a president’s or prime minister’s speech delivered in English. Politeness, protocol, and the illusion of mutual understanding conspire to silence doubt. And when two dignitaries meet behind closed doors, both are often equally ill at ease in English, making a true marriage of minds, as Shakespeare would have had it, effectively impossible.

Most world leaders feel uncomfortable in English, which only reinforces my long-held belief: people do not want to learn languages—even when circumstances force them to. Competence may be achieved; ease rarely is.

A satirical scene circulating on Instagram captures this perfectly. An Asian dignitary addresses President Trump in his own language. The American president shouts back, “Speak English!” The dignitary replies, “Fuck you!” Crude again, yes—but as an allegory, it is brutally honest. It distills the unspoken resentment many non-English speakers feel toward a language imposed by power rather than chosen by affection.