Several sources inside a bi-partisan meeting with Donald Trump Thursday confirm he said, “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” He was apparently referring to nations like El Salvador and Haiti and the entire continent of Africa.
There are also reports from inside the meeting that he said, “Why do we need more Haitians? Take them out.” On Thursday night the White House didn’t deny the comments. Now, this morning comes the denial.
The language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough, but this was not the language used. What was really tough was the outlandish proposal made – a big setback for DACA!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018
This morning Senator Richard Durbin (D-Il.) who was in the meeting confirmed Trump used the language:
“The president started tweeting this morning, denying that he used those words. It is not true. He said these hate-filled things, and he said them repeatedly… I cannot believe that in the history of the White House — in that Oval Office — any president has spoken the words that I personally heard our president speak yesterday.”
But Trump trying to soften the blow of a racist gut punch won’t work for some members of Congress. Take Representative Mia Love from Utah. She is a Republican and the first Haitian-American elected to Congress. Here’s her statement.”
https://twitter.com/RepMiaLove/status/951603160254238720
Another Republican, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Cuban-American, also took a big stand against Trump last night.
The president calling #Haiti a "shithole country" ignores the contributions thousands of Haitians have made to our #SoFla community and nation. Language like that shouldn't be heard in locker rooms and it shouldn't be heard in the White House
— Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (@RosLehtinen) January 11, 2018
Some of Trump’s former presidential competitors are also weighing in.
For every one step forward @POTUS takes when it comes to judgement and good, coherent policy decisions, he Inexplicably and without fail takes ten steps back. I hope today’s comments were just a crass and flippant mistake, and do not reflect the hateful racism they imply. 1/2
— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) January 12, 2018
We need comprehensive immigration reform that reflects our values as a country and recognizes our economic needs. This requires a merit-based system that attracts talented, freedom-loving individuals from across the globe, whether they are from Haiti, Norway or anywhere else 2/2
— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) January 12, 2018
America was built on the backs of immigrants from around the globe. We must honor that history, not reject it. It starts with respectful rhetoric and signing bipartisan DACA legislation.
— John Kasich (@JohnKasich) January 11, 2018
The decision on whether to allow someone to immigrate here should be based primarily on who they are,not where they are coming from 2/7
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 12, 2018
So far it’s crickets from Republican leaders Mitchell McConnell and Paul Ryan.
Meanwhile, what’s lost in all this is the story once again become about Donald Trump and not the hundreds of thousands of “Dreamers” who are hanging on every word that comes out of Washington. Yesterday began with optimism as a bi-partisan group of Senators thought they had a deal that would allow “Dreamers” to stay in the United States and eventually apply for citizenship. Trump shot that down at a meeting with the Senators where his “shithole” reference instead became the story.