Republican Rep. Erik Paulsen
Erik Philip PaulsenHouse votes to overturn Obama mining ban in Minnesota Protect Access to Cellular Transplant (PACT) Act would help Medicare patients with blood cancers The Hill's Whip List: Where Republicans stand on tax-reform bill MORE (Minn.) slammed President Trump
Donald John TrumpHouse Democrat slams Donald Trump Jr. for ‘serious case of amnesia’ after testimony Skier Lindsey Vonn: I don’t want to represent Trump at Olympics Poll: 4 in 10 Republicans think senior Trump advisers had improper dealings with Russia MORE on Thursday for his reported remark referring to Haiti and some African nations as "shithole countries," calling Trump's words "completely inappropriate."
Paulsen called on the White House to issue an apology in a series of tweets, and rebuked Trump for making "denigrating statement" about other countries.
"It is completely inappropriate for the President to refer to other countries in the manner in which he reportedly did, especially given the circumstances and disasters that led many TPS immigrants to seek refuge and shelter in the US," Paulsen tweeted.
"I hope the White House apologizes for these degrading comments and focuses on working towards a solution for those from TPS countries rather than making denigrating statements," he added.
I hope the White House apologizes for these degrading comments and focuses on working towards a solution for those from TPS countries rather than making denigrating statements
— Rep. Erik Paulsen (@RepErikPaulsen) January 12, 2018
Paulsen, whose seat is being targeted by Democrats in the 2018 midterms, was appointed earlier in the day by Speaker Paul Ryan
Paul Davis RyanMcConnell names Senate GOP tax conferees House Republican: 'I worry about both sides' of the aisle on DACA Overnight Health Care: 3.6M signed up for ObamaCare in first month | Ryan pledges 'entitlement reform' next year | Dems push for more money to fight opioids MORE (R-Wis.) as the chair of the of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC).
The Minnesota Republican joined a chorus of lawmakers from both parties in criticizing Trump over the remarks, which were reported to have occurred during a Thursday meeting with lawmakers in the Oval Office on immigration.
Fellow GOP Rep. Mia Love
Ludmya (Mia) LoveTrump says he's encouraging Hatch to run for reelection Lawmakers discuss how to curb partisanship The Hill's 12:30 Report MORE (Utah,) who is Haitian-American, called Trump's remarks "unkind, divisive," and "elitist" in her own statement.
"My parents came from one of those countries, took an oath of allegiance to it, and took on the responsibilities of everything that being a citizen comes with," Love said.
The White House issued a statement on Thursday in response to a Washington Post story that first reported the comments, but did not deny Trump's use of the term.
“Certain Washington politicians choose to fight for foreign countries, but President Trump will always fight for the American people,” White House spokesman Raj Shah said.