President Trump on Friday ignored a handful of shouted questions about whether he would apologize for using the word "shithole" to describe some African countries, and whether he was a racist.

Trump provoked outrage on Thursday after he was accused of using the derogatory name while discussing a potential bipartisan immigration deal with a group of lawmakers at the White House. The president had questioned why the U.S. should provide protections for immigrants and refugees from "shithole" countries, the Washington Post first reported Thursday afternoon.

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, Ill., later confirmed that Trump had repeatedly used the word, and said Trump suggested accepting more immigrants from places like Norway.

During a ceremony to declare Monday, Jan. 15 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the president was asked by reporters in the room if he indeed used the word "shithole" in reference to other countries.

Another reporter, April Ryan of American Urban Radio Networks, asked Trump: "Mr. President, are you a racist?"

Trump did not respond to any of the questions as he shook hands with aides and guests who had joined him for the ceremony.