Trump denies vulgar remarks about Haiti, African countries; condemnation mounts

[rooster59]

Trump denies vulgar remarks about Haiti, African countries; condemnation mounts

By Doina Chiacu and James Oliphant

 

FILE PHOTO - U.S. President Donald Trump addresses a joint news conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., January 10, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Facing strong condemnation at home and abroad, U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday denied using the word "shithole" to describe Haiti and African countries, but kept up criticism of a Senate immigration plan that he said would force the United States to admit people from countries that "are doing badly."

 

Trump reportedly made the remarks at a White House meeting on immigration on Thursday. U.S. Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, who attended the gathering, told reporters on Friday that Trump used "vile, vulgar" language, including repeatedly using the word "shithole" when speaking about African countries.

 

The Republican president's comments were decried as racist by African and Haitian politicians, by the United Nations human rights office and by U.S. lawmakers from both major parties.

 

Trump, who has been accused of racism over several issues since he took office a year ago, sought to walk back the comments on Friday, saying on Twitter, "The language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough, but this was not the language used."

 

Trump also denied saying "anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is, obviously, a very poor and troubled country."

 

According to two sources, at Thursday's meeting Trump questioned why the United States would want to accept immigrants from Haiti and African nations, referring to some as "shithole countries."

 

While many Republican lawmakers stayed quiet on Trump's remarks, Paul Ryan, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, called them "unfortunate" and "unhelpful," noting in an interview on CNN that his family had emigrated to the United States from Ireland to help build the nation's railroads.    

 

At an event on Friday at the White House, Trump honored the memory of Martin Luther King Jr, the civil-rights era activist who was slain in 1968. King's memory is marked with a national holiday, which falls this year on Monday.

 

Trump stood beside Isaac Newton Farris, King's nephew, while a group of about 20 African-American supporters and members of his administration were on hand in the Roosevelt Room, including Ben Carson, his Housing and Urban Development secretary. He ignored reporters who shouted questions about his remarks.

 

A group of Republican and Democratic senators has been working for months to craft legislation that would protect 700,000 young adults who were brought into the country illegally as children and later shielded from deportation under a program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.

 

In a series of tweets on Friday, Trump also suggested that momentum toward a deal on maintaining such protection had stalled. "The so-called bipartisan DACA deal presented yesterday to myself and a group of Republican Senators and Congressmen was a big step backwards," he said.

 

The tentative deal also addresses border security, including a border wall, the diversity visa lottery and chain migration, in which U.S. green-card holders can sponsor other family members for permanent residence in the country.

 

Among other objections, Trump said the plan did not provide proper funding for the proposed wall that he made a center-piece of his election campaign. He added the country "would be forced to take large numbers of people from high crime countries which are doing badly."

 

'SHOCKING AND SHAMEFUL'

 

Haiti said it was shocked by Trump's reported remarks on Thursday and summoned the top U.S. diplomat in the country, asking for an apology if the vulgar term had been used.

 

El Salvador's government sent the U.S. a formal letter of protest that said the president had "implicitly" accepted the use of "harsh terms detrimental to the dignity of El Salvador and other countries."

 

Botswana also said it had summoned the U.S. ambassador to that country to "express its displeasure" and had asked him whether Botswana "is regarded as a 'shithole' country."

 

Trump's comments are extremely offensive to South Africa, said Jessie Duarte, a senior official with the ruling African National Congress. "Ours is not a shithole country. Neither is Haiti or any other country in distress," she said.

 

In Geneva, U.N. human rights spokesman Rupert Colville said "These are shocking and shameful comments from the president of the United States. There is no other word one can use but 'racist.'"

 

The reported language was the latest in a long string of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim comments by Trump that have been condemned as racist. He also blamed "both sides" after a white supremacist rally in August in Charlottesville, Virginia, turned violent and a woman protesting against the rally was killed.

 

Durbin said that despite Trump's rejection of the bipartisan deal he would introduce it as legislation next week and work on getting Democratic and Republican support for passage.

 

“We have seven days and the clock is ticking. Our bipartisan group continues to build support for the only deal in town,” Durbin said in a statement on Friday.

 

He was referring to Jan. 19, when funds for operating federal agencies expires. Durbin and other lawmakers want the immigration measure to be attached to a must-do bill to fund the government beyond that date.

 

In recent days, a group of Republican and Democratic leaders from the House and Senate have met with the stated goal of crafting an alternative to the Senate bipartisan deal. But there was no indication that those four leaders were planning to meet over the long Martin Luther King Day federal holiday weekend or when they might produce legislation.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-01-13

[Somtamnication]

So let's imagine the fake media made this one up. The other times he used racially motivated statements (I won't quote them) proves that this guy is an idiot, racist and has dragged down American world influence tenfold. 

 

That is a good thing, finally! 

[greatwhitenorth]

what did you expect a liar to do but lie.  leopard don't change from dots to stripes.  

 

his supporters know he said it and are proud that they have a racist in the white house.

 

one can't help wonder how much more danger he has put the 6000 US troops that are currently stationed in Africa?  

Edited January 12, 2018 by greatwhitenorth

[Samui Bodoh]

31 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

The reported language was the latest in a long string of anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim comments by Trump that have been condemned as racist. He also blamed "both sides" after a white supremacist rally in August in Charlottesville, Virginia, turned violent and a woman protesting against the rally was killed.

There is no doubt whatsoever about Trump's history of racially-charged slurs; in this age of video we can see them easily. One might have forgiven him or made allowances due to age and upbringing for using inappropriate language, but after Charlottesville any good will evaporated. Hey Donny boy! When one group of people is marching under a Nazi flag, there are no good people there.

 

And now the coward is denying it. Does anyone believe him? Not me.

 

I have said it before and (sadly) will say it again;

 

Donald Trump is an ever-expanding cloud of toxic waste that defiles everything it touches.

 

God help us all

 

[mtls2005]

No doubt he's had very bad few days this week, and that's saying something...too much Fox & Friends?

 

Flubbing the national anthem at CFC

"Stable genius"

U.K. visit/new embassy

Payment to porn star

FISA confusion

Immigration/DACA confusion

F-52 confusion

Sh*thole remarks

Repeating "no collusion" seven times in one answer

 

 

One assumes the staff turnover and maybe lack of full-time day-care is negatively impacting his grasp on reality?

 

Any responsible family member would figure out a way out of this mess, much like we all eventually have to do when caring for aging parents.

 

[greatwhitenorth]

Trumps mother immigrated from the Outer Hebrides of Scotland arriving in America the day after her 18th birthday on May 11, 1930.  She had 8 years of education and English was her second language as Gaelic was what was spoken at home.  She arrived with $50, the equivalent of  $730 in 2017.  The Outer Hebrides was very poor and his mother was an economic immigrant looking for a better life.  Her home in Scotland was made of stone with a thatched roof, not much better than a hut.  She worked as a domestic maid for 4 years at the beginning of the Great Depression, a time when millions of Americans were unemployed.

 

In her words  she   "started life in America as a dirt-poor servant escaping the even worse poverty of her native land."

source; The Mysterious Mary Trump

 

Other than the colour of her skin, she is the type of immigrant the POTUS has so little compassion for and  the economic circumstances America was in during the Great Depression was much worse than therecord breaking stock market of today. 

 

Irony or Hypocrisy choose your poison Mr Trump 

 

 

[tonray]

He has dementia, he may indeed not remember saying it.

[the guest]

All of Americans are immigrants, they are NOT native Americans. Trump might be advised to take a lesson in history.

[Boon Mee]

His words were twisted yet again. Even Jake Tapper of CNN fame admits that fact. 

[greatwhitenorth]

7 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

 His words were twisted yet again. Even Jake Tapper of CNN fame admits that fact. 

 I thought you thought CNN was full of fake news and wouldn t believe a word they say.

 

Your avatar  makes me think yo are lying for some reason

[Emster23]

Considering Trump passed the 2000 number of known fact checked lies in office the other day, he doesn't have any credibility regarding his statement he didn't say it.

[DoctorG]

Some of those countries are indeed shitholes. If you do not believe them to be, why are they not on the list of countries everyone wants to move to or vacation? If any of the above posters do indeed holiday in Haiti, then I commend you wholeheartedly.

 

ps: if he did in fact say it then he was wrong, diplomatically.

[simple1]

40 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

His words were twisted yet again. Even Jake Tapper of CNN fame admits that fact. 

CNN's Jake Tapper has reported that Trump did not specifically use the word "shithole" with regard to Haiti but rather with regard to countries in Africa.

 

http://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/12/politics/durbin-trump-shithole-analysis/index.html

[JohnOFphon]

So if any of the people of these countries are upset. Let them leave America and move to China. There they can become naturalized citizens...hold a Chinese passport, and when they can't support themselves...they will be given welfare for as long as they need....right?

[wwest5829]

I, for one, call upon the Congress of the United States to pass a vote of "Censure" stating unequivocally a condemnation of any such statements by the President of the United States. Not to do so equates with acceptance of such behavior.

[soalbundy]

2 minutes ago, JohnOFphon said:

So if any of the people of these countries are upset. Let them leave America and move to China. There they can become naturalized citizens...hold a Chinese passport, and when they can't support themselves...they will be given welfare for as long as they need....right?

would that include the white trailer trash and the middle class opioid users as well ? Your simplistic view of the world shows you are in perfect step with vulgar orange

[spidermike007]

When a half man loser is confronted about taking responsibility for a mistake he has made, or an offense he has caused, the reaction is always the same. Denial, obfuscation, blaming the "fake news", and engaging in the deflection this huckster is so good at. Anything but admit the truth. 

 

This nitwit continues to shoot himself in the foot daily. He will be his own undoing. Though he has gotten away with alot, and some of his supporters and devotees continue to give him a free pass, with every infraction and mistake, it will add up. He will be responsible for his own fall. And it will be spectacular. Some of us cannot wait for this to happen. 

 

There has never been a doubt about his racist credentials, nor the degree of hatred, xenophobia, and darkness in this man's tiny heart. Time will simply reveal that over time. Along with so much else about this circus huckster fool.

[John Drake]

It's not all anger and condemnation in Africa after President Donald Trump's vulgar remark about immigrants. Some on the continent say they agree.

"President Donald Trump is absolutely right," says Mamady Traore, a 30-year-old sociologist in the West African nation of Guinea. "When you have heads of state who mess with the constitutions to perpetuate their power. When you have rebel factions that kill children, disembowel women as saints, who mutilate innocent civilians."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/latest-african-union-alarmed-trump-statement-090539965.html

[soalbundy]

2 minutes ago, John Drake said:

 

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/latest-african-union-alarmed-trump-statement-090539965.html

Traore has applied for a green card

[soalbundy]

1 minute ago, John Drake said:

Probably to escape being disemboweled in shithole Guinea

only to be shot in the USA for being a black pedestrian.

[Scott]

Troll posts removed. 

[gamini]

1 hour ago, DoctorG said:

Some of those countries are indeed shitholes. If you do not believe them to be, why are they not on the list of countries everyone wants to move to or vacation? If any of the above posters do indeed holiday in Haiti, then I commend you wholeheartedly.

 

ps: if he did in fact say it then he was wrong, diplomatically.

I guess you are the same as Ttrump with your ugly ignorant racist views. 

[Antonymous]

I had to look up the meaning of shithole. According to a dictionary I found on Newsthump...

 

 

[jerojero]

Pants on fire. Nuff said.

[xylophone]

Lies, lies and more lies from a runaway mouth that is connected to something the size and shape of a walnut, belonging to an orange coloured clown who also sexually assaults women..........seems like the ideal ignorant redneck (sorry to all the rednecks, no offence meant).

Edited January 13, 2018 by xylophone

[lannarebirth]

10 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Lies, lies and more lies from a runaway mouth that is connected to something the size and shape of a walnut, belong to an orange coloured clown who also sexually assaults women..........seems like the ideal ignorant redneck (sorry to all the rednecks, no offence meant).

 

Not redneck, New Yorker. To be fair, a New Yorker will call New Jersey a shithole just as readily and everything west of that is just wilderness.

Edited January 13, 2018 by lannarebirth

[thaibeachlovers]

3 hours ago, Boon Mee said:

His words were twisted yet again. Even Jake Tapper of CNN fame admits that fact. 

I would not be surprised if he said them, or something similar on purpose because I think he just likes baiting the liberal media. He certainly owns their minds, given their obsession with every little thing says.

This morning, that bastion of "truth", British Sky "News" made it the lead story on their news, and in the discussion on the headlines, the female showed that her mind was closed on the issue- Trump is bad, bad, bad, beyond redemption. Not much objectivity there. Surprisingly, the male was actually quite reasonable in his comments, but that didn't go down well with her.

Notably, they discussed nothing about the actual subject of the meeting. Neither, apparently, did the British newspapers.

 

 

Edited January 13, 2018 by thaibeachlovers

[newnative]

Train wreck.

[Krataiboy]

It is reassuring to know the destiny of the world rests in such capable hands.

[Ulic]

I have been to several African countries. While I met many really nice people

the countries really are shitholes. Corruption off the charts, filth, poverty.

That is why so many want to immigrate by any means to the USA.

Not politically correct but true.