Donald Trump brought his “America First” style of diplomacy to the Doral National Miami on Saturday, hosting more than a dozen heads of state for the first ever Shield of the Americas summit.
While the meeting focused on a high-stakes military partnership to take down drug cartels, Trump kept the mood informal, sharing his honest take on the language barrier and his decision not to bother with a Spanish dictionary.
Addressing a crowd that included leaders from Argentina, El Salvador, and Chile, Trump joked that his schedule doesn’t leave room for foreign language lessons. “I don’t have time,” Trump said about the idea of learning the native tongues of his neighbors to the south. “And so good that we got to know so many of you. I mean, we’re so many. And I’d love to get to your countries at some point.”
Trump pointed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio as the administration’s primary traveler and linguistic bridge. “Marco loves going to your countries,” Trump remarked. “He’s always at one of these countries. He likes your countries the best, okay? You know? Where are you? I’m in Chile. Oh, good. How’s Chile doing? Good. He likes it. He feels very calm. We all like him, right? It helps. He’s got a language advantage over me.”
Trump then doubled down on his preference for staying monolingual, much to the amusement of his supporters. “Because I’m not learning your damn languages,” he declared. “I don’t have time. I was okay with languages, but I’m not going to spend time learning your language. That much, I won’t do.”
Trump argued that the quality of a translator is far more important than his own fluency, sharing a recent anecdote about an interpreter he claimed was cutting corners. “Just give me a good interpreter. Interpreter? Very important. And I know if somebody is good,” he said.
He recalled a specific instance involving a female interpreter that left him skeptical, “I could tell, even though I—even though I don’t speak the language—I could tell the interpreter was not good. When I give a long, flowing, beautiful sentence… she gave it in about one-fourth the time. I said, well, their language may be efficient, but it’s not that efficient.”
Donald Trump speaking in front of Latin American leaders:
“I’m not learning your damn language, I don’t have time.” pic.twitter.com/5ZFat2aq3h
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) March 7, 2026
Trump is illiterate. He can’t even speak English past 5th grade level. No time? He’d rather bitch & moan about others he perceives as enemies than learn anything.
His day, as reported, starts at noon, & is filled with watching television & writing on Truth Social. Trump is not a president. He a 34 time convicted FELON & convicted sexual predator.