U.S. President Donald Trump said on 9 July that several African countries have agreed to lower import tariffs on U.S. goods, declaring that the nations had "already informed" him of the decision. "Parts of Africa charge us tremendous tariffs, and they're gonna be dropping those tariffs," he told reporters. Trump made the remarks at the White House after talks with the leaders of Liberia, Senegal, Gabon, Mauritania and Guinea-Bissau. The meeting marked the highest-level engagement between his administration and those governments and was framed by the president as part of efforts to improve bilateral trade terms. Officials from the five African states have not publicly confirmed the tariff changes, and Trump did not specify which duties would be cut or when the reductions would take effect. The comments sparked criticism in Liberia and elsewhere, where politicians and media outlets accused the U.S. leader of being condescending and pursuing Africa chiefly for its mineral resources.