President Trump reportedly referred to Haiti, El Savaldor, and multiple African nations as “shithole countries” in a meeting with lawmakers Thursday.
The Washington Post, citing two people briefed on the meeting, reported Trump grew frustrated and lashed out at the lawmakers over possibly restoring protections for immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador, and African nations that his administration plans to end.
“Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” Trump said, according to the report.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report from the Washington Examiner, but did not deny the report in a statement provided to other reporters.
"Certain Washington politicians choose to fight for foreign countries, but President Trump will always fight for the American people," said Raj Shah, principal deputy White House press secretary said in a statement.
"The president will only accept an immigration deal that adequately addresses the visa lottery system and chain migration — two programs that hurt our economy and allow terrorists into our country. Like other nations that have merit-based immigration, President Trump is fighting for permanent solutions that make our country stronger by welcoming those who can contribute to our society, grow our economy, and assimilate into our great nation. He will always reject temporary, weak, and dangerous stopgap measures that threaten the lives of hardworking Americans, and undercut immigrants who seek a better life in the United States through a legal pathway."
Trump was in the meeting with Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., among others.
The comments come less than a month after Trump reportedly said in a meeting that people in Haiti “all have AIDS” and people from Nigeria who had immigrated to the U.S. would never “go back to their huts.”
The White House denied Trump made those comments.
