During a meeting about the program of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, commonly known as DACA, the president of the United States Donald Trump, allegedly made derogatory comments in which he labels immigrants from some countries as "crap." According to Washington Post, a trusted source present at the meeting reported that when El Salvador, Haiti and some countries in Africa were mentioned, Trump questioned: “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” suggesting the United States should instead bring more people from countries such as Norway.
“Why do we need more Haitians?” Trump said, according to Washington Post. “Take them out.” The White House official, reportedly also said that Trump suggested he would be open to protect immigrants from Asian countries because they help the country economically.
“Certain Washington politicians choose to fight for foreign countries, but President Trump will always fight for the American people,” spokesman Raj Shah said in a statement issued after The Washington Post reported Trump’s comments. “. . . 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.”
After the controversy, legislators took to social media to express what they think of Trump's comments. Rep. Cedric L. Richmond (D-La.), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said on Twitter that Trump’s remarks “are further proof that his Make America Great Again Agenda is really a Make America White Again agenda.”
While Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) said “Democrats and Republicans in the Senate made a proposal. The answer is this racist outburst of the president. How can you take him seriously?” “They [Republicans] don’t believe in immigration — it’s always been about people of color and keeping them out of this country,” he added.
“My grandmother used to say, ‘Digame con quién caminas, y te diré quién eres.’ ‘Tell me who you walk with, and I’ll tell you who you are,’ ” said Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, a country that shares the island with Haiti. “If he’s walking around with white supremacists and supporting them, this kind of talk doesn’t surprise me.”
CNN’s Don Lemon opened CNN Tonight by saying: “The President of the United States is racist.”
“Those comments are, frankly, disgusting,” Lemon continued. “They’re not shocking, not even really surprising because this is who Donald Trump is—this is what he thinks.” The news anchor also addressed Trump supporters. “This is for anyone who may be taken aback by my comments: I don’t really care if you are. I hope you are,” Lemon said. “For years, I and others have been trying to tell you, the American people, that this man has been exhibiting bigoted behavior. I’ve asked him about it a number of times, and he denied, but kept up the racist rhetoric throughout the campaign and now while he’s in the White House.”
“His supporters made excuses, continue to make excuses for him. Some of them are his friends, and I can hear them now, telling me: ‘Donald didn’t mean that,’ ‘Donald isn’t a racist,’ ‘I think it was taken out of context.’... How many examples do you need of this? But he is a racist.”
“All of you who over the last few years have uttered that tired, lazy, uninformed, uneducated response of calling me and others who point out racist behavior ‘racists,’ you know what you can go do?” Lemon added. “I can’t say that. But you can go read a history book. Because you might learn that people from some of those ‘shithole countries’ were slaves who were brought by force to help build this country.”
“Here’s why I’m not outraged: People of color warned you,” Lemon concluded. “You called us racists or race-baiters.”
After Trump's infamous “shithole” comment shocked the world, he took Twitter to defend himself and deny all the allegations. "Never said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is, obviously, a very poor and troubled country," he wrote. "Never said 'take them out.' Made up by Dems. I have a wonderful relationship with Haitians. Probably should record future meetings - unfortunately, no trust!"
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