'I'm Not Learning Your Damn Language': Trump Addresses Latin American Leaders at His 'Shield Of The Americas' Summit

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: MEDIAite

Mar 7th, 2026, 1:14 pm


President Donald Trump addressed the leaders of Latin American countries Saturday at his “Shield of the Americas” summit by telling them he was too busy to learn their language.

The summit, held at Trump’s Doral Golf Club, was organized to “advance strategies that stop foreign interference” in the Western hemisphere, including “criminal and narco-terrorist gangs and cartels, and illegal and mass immigration,” according to the State Department.  “I’d love to get to your countries at some point,” Trump said, continuing on about Secretary of State Marco Rubo, who is of Cuban descent. He said:

Marco loves going to your countries. He’s always at one of these countries. He likes your countries the best, you know?

“Where are you?”
“I’m in Chile.”
“Oh, good, how’s Chile doing?”
“Good.”

He likes it, he feels very comfortable — we all like him, right? He’s got a language, he’s got a language advantage over me. ‘Cause I’m not learning your damn language. 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. Just give me a good interpreter. Interpreter — very important.

When Rubio spoke, he asked for the president’s permission before addressing the leaders in Spanish. “If I may, because some of these cameras cover in Spanish. You all right —” “Good, please,” Trump said. “Oh, good,” Rubio responded. “We don’t need an interpreter for this one,” he quipped. After Rubio’s remarks, Trump introduced Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who assured the president, “I only speak American.”

Read more: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/im-not-learning-your-damn-language-trump-addresses-latin-american-leaders-at-his-shield-of-the-americas-summit/

[tanyev]

1. Ah, but Pete's tattoos are polyglottal.

This is the Jerusalem cross, also known as the Crusader cross: square (unlike the more usual elongated versions of the Christian symbol), and with a smaller square cross in each of the four quadrants.

This very same cross has been in the limelight recently, emblazoned — far, far larger than King Edward VII’s version — on Pete Hegseth’s chest. Hegseth, a Fox News anchor and former member of the National Guard, is Trump’s pick for secretary of defense. It’s by no means his only tattoo. He also has a “Chi-Rho,” the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ and one of the earliest forms of a so-called Christogram (letters formed into a monogram expressing the essence of the religion). Perhaps the most contentious is the Christian expression on his bicep: “Deus Vult,” meaning “God Wills It,” believed to be a Crusader battle cry. Τhere is another cross with a sword, referencing a verse in the Gospel of Matthew reporting the following words of Jesus: “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” “Yeshua,” Jesus’ name in Hebrew, can be read across his elbow. All these Christian-related symbols, words and letters are accompanied by others that draw on American history and identity: the U.S. Constitution’s famous opening phrase “We the People,” the year “1775” in Roman numerals (the year the American War of Independence started), a “Join, or Die” snake from the American Revolution (from a cartoon attributed to Benjamin Franklin, urging the then-colonies to unite), an American flag with an AR-15 rifle, a pair of crossed muskets, a circle of stars and a patch of his regiment, the 187th Infantry.

https://newlinesmag.com/essays/pete-hegseths-tattoos-and-the-crusading-obsession-of-the-far-right/

[Joinfortmill]

2. Remember this? A true American President: "Ich bin ein Berliner"

From the archives: John F. Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech on June 26, 1963

[wnylib]

19. And Jackie spoke Spanish in Latin America

and French in France.

[Roy Rolling]

23. His exact quote

“I’m not learning your language in Latin America. I will declare your continent “South America” and only the southern language can be spoken.

“I’m not speaking Latin”.

Well, maybe not an exact quote.

[wnylib]

24. He has not mastered English yet.

Not speaking Latin?

I took 2 years of Latin in high school. He never would have got through one semester.

[Marcuse]

30. "Sic transit Gloria."

[Capt. America]

42. Sic Semper Tyrannis

[COL Mustard]

32. I eek-spay Igpay Atinlay....

Does that count?

[wnylib]

33. . Not unless you get all the grammar right.

That means getting the noun declensions, verb conjugations, gender endings, and noun/adjective agreement correct.

After 2 years of Latin, I took 2 years of German. Initially I thought it would be good to learn a modern language that I could speak, but ach mein Gott! German was worse grammatically. It also has 3 genders, noun declensions, verb conjugations, gender endings that change according to the grammatical role in the sentence, plus noun/adjective agreement in gender and number.

But, at least Latin noun endings indicate the gender for nearly all nouns. Not so in German. In German you have to memorize the gender of each noun with no clues from the noun ending.

Both of my mother's grandparents brought their families to the US from Germany. I swear they left in order to escape the language.

So in college, I studied Spanish.

[RazorbackExpat]

41. Actually, German does have some clues about noun endings and gender

All singular words ending in -e are feminine (die Katze, die Erde)
All words ending in -in that denote a profession are feminine (Die Arztin, die Polizistin)
All singular words ending in -chen and -lein are neuter (das Fraulein, das Madchen

[wnylib]

46. I did not pick up on that in 2 years of high school German.

IT would have helped if our teacher had tipped us off.

Those clues help, but they don't apply to words like Buch, Schiff, Gott. What about er endings? Vater, Mutter, Schwester, Kinder, Metzger? Or Milch? I remember the articles for some of those, but not all.

What really got to me, though, was how the masculine article "der" could change in another case to "die," confusing me on its gender.

I had the pronunciations down pat because of hearing older relatives speak German. The spelling did not bother me as long as it was written in English lettering. But the grammar was a nightmare. I managed to get mostly A grades, and a couple Bs, but most of the tests were written. I never felt like I'd be able to speak it well.

But that was put to the test some years later in my 30s when I was a college student. I took a Spanish seminar class which ended with a trip to NYC to visit a Spanish theater and some Spanish restaurants in Greenwich. We stayed at a hotel in Manhattan near Times Square which catered to tourists. My landlady had joined the seminar, mostly for the trip. Since we were older than the other students, we spent some of our free time in the evenings at the hotel lounge to meet other people. There were a couple groups of German tourists.

When I heard a group at a table next to us speaking German, I introduced myself to them in German, told them that my grandparents were born in Germany, and that I had learned a little German in school. I spoke slowly, searching my mind for the right words. They understood me and were patient with my efforts. They invited us to join them and insisted on buying me a beer. One of the group knew some English, so between us, with a lot of pantomiming and some sketches on bar napkins, we were able to communicate. I probably slaughtered the grammar, but they were polite enough to act like they didn't notice.

[RazorbackExpat]

47. If a masculine noun comes with "die", it is simply pliural, nominative

All nominative plurals take "die", regardless of gender.
So, das Madchen, die Madchen
Der Hund, die Hunde
Die Katze, die Katzen

Duolingo offers free German lessons

[wnylib]

48. Is there a pattern for why die Hunde is not die Hunden

like die Katzen?

Also, aren't there other articles that seem to change gender from the nominative case to another case like dative or objective? I might be misremembering after 60 years past my HS classes, but it seems to me that other articles changed in confusing ways.

[Evolve Dammit]

54. Fraulein isn't feminine?

[RazorbackExpat]

56. No. it's considered neuter because it ends in -lein

That's how German is

[Evolve Dammit]

57. Thanks! Interesting

[Henry203]

37. Melania says leave the money on the table

In 5 languages.

[popsdenver]

38. Nonsense

even the slutty escorts like her demand cash up front.......

[C Moon]

45. Damn. There was so much in that speech that came to fruition. Amazing speaker.

Being President looks exhausting. Wow.

[FakeNoose]

3. What about Brazil? Does Lil Marco speak Portuguese too?

Probably not....

[turbinetree]

4. Lets have another dog and pony show at American expense...........called Mar A Lago...........

[eppur_se_muova]

5. Not all 'Americas' are equal ... at least not in the sight of the BLOATUS. nt

[erronis]

6. trumpie speaks fluently in all languages - as a spoiled brat having temper tantrums. Parents worldwide recognizes them.

Yell, scream, stomp your little feet and pound your little hands. Wait until poppa Fred gives you a few more $$$ to cover your stupid antics.

I have to wonder if djt didn't have some kompromat on his father. Something that stopped Fred from treating the idjt as he did his older son (Mary Trump's father.) Perhaps djt learned this from Roy Cohn.

[70sEraVet]

7. Hegseth said, "I only speak American" at a summit with Latin American leaders???

Reminds me of a scene in Seven Years in Tibet:
https://m.

&pp=ygUxc2V2ZW4geWVhcnMgaW4gdGliZXQgYXJyaXZhbCBvZiBjaGluZXNlIG9mZmljaWFscw%3D%3D

[thesquanderer]

8. re: "I was okay with languages" -- from mister word salad himself. (n/t)

[OldBaldy1701E]

9. "...telling them he was too busy to learn their language."

No.

It is ignorance and arrogance.

It is a major sign of narcissism, when they expect everyone and everything to bow to their whim.

It needs to stop.

[hoosierspud]

10. He's too busy with:

Watching television, interfering in sports, golfing on the taxpayers dime, fundraising while starting an unnecessary war, and sending out late night social media posts.

[OGBuzz]

17. Remember when he said he would quit golf in order to.......

focus on being the greatest President in U.S. history?

His "giving up" golf cost the taxpayers $200 million in his 1st term, and he is already up to $110 million in his second term.

[LoisB]

11. He can barely speak his native language, no way he is capable of learning a

different one.

[William Seger]

14. I don't think he has the capacity to learn a damn thing about anything. (nt)

[LoisB]

28. I wholeheartedly agree.

[AverageOldGuy]

12. I hate to be repetitive . . .

. . . but Trump is a disgrace to the US.

[wnylib]

35. A disgrace to humanity.

[3catwoman3]

13. My alliterative string of adjectives for this boor -

...crude, common, crass, coarse, churlish and cruel.

And my neologism - crass hole

[LSparkle]

53. Insane, incompetent, incontinent ...

Inarticulate, incoherent, infantile ...

[OGBuzz]

15. they all trip over each other to get a taste of Trump's ass.

[Cha]

16. Traitor is Too Stupid to Learn Anything!

[orleans]

40. absolutely. and he couldn't learn another language if his life depended on it nt

[twodogsbarking]

18. Jesus spoke English so should everyone. Wait for it.

[IcyPeas]

20. Melania can translate.... right?

[Traildogbob]

31. Yep

The first Ho speaks dozens of languages. Just not English. The only language she needed for trump, CASH.

[twodogsbarking]

21. I wish I knew Spanish.

[kimbutgar]

22. He is sounding more insane as the days goes by!

God help us!

[DrMJG10]

25. Question

Does his new rep to the Shield of the Americas, Kristi (puppy killer) Noem speak their damn language? The Tangerine Twit® comes up with a new reason to despise him every f****ng day!!!

[MorbidButterflyTat]

26. It's so lame of the media

to just normalize anything Piggy says or does.

Oh, the 'Shield Of The Americas,' and the "Board of Peace," FFS!!! They're just made up bullshit for him to grift from, like his charities, and renting his stupid ugly name, his university, his wine, his steak, etc., etc.

Jeez!!

[Walleye]

27. No cajones. Bet he can translate that

[MIButterfly]

29. That's DJT - making friends and influencing people wherever he goes.

His combined ignorance and arrogance knows no bounds.

[Dulcinea]

34. The Fascist Felon can barely speak English.

Typical bully tactics. What a LOSER.

[LymphocyteLover]

36. Another day, another incredible embarrassment and insult to the world by this evil regime

[sakabatou]

39. Dump doesn't even know English

[Emrys]

43. Trump needs an interpreter for his English.

I think she's called Leaveit or something.

[usonian]

44. Being ignorant, he completely missed the joke they played on him.

They're still chuckling.

[Xipe Totec]

49. Peachy cool arrows. nt

[Ruby the Liberal]

50. He didn't take the time to learn English either.

The game show host and his weekend talk show presenter can't meet karma soon enough.

[NoMoreRepugs]

51. Dumbass Kegsbreath - "I only speak American."

[BradBo]

52. He talks like a complete fool.

[Evolve Dammit]

55. "your damn language." Sounds like Bad Bunny redux. What a dickhead. n/t