Washington DC, United States – On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that he used the racial slur “shithole countries” during a 2018 meeting with lawmakers, proudly discussing a remark that caused international outcry during his first term.
Previously, Trump made the derogatory statement behind closed doors, but this week, he openly recounted the incident without hesitation.
He then further denigrated Somalia as “filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime.”
President Trump was speaking at a rally last week when he mentioned “announcing a visa ban, including from hellholes like Afghanistan, Haiti, Somalia and many other countries,” prompting someone in the audience to reference his 2018 remark.
This led him to recount the Oval Office meeting, closely following accounts provided by those briefed on the discussion.
“We had a meeting and I said, ‘Why is it we only take people from shithole countries,’ right? ‘Why can’t we have some people from Norway, Sweden?'” Trump told supporters.
“But we always take people from Somalia and other places that are a disaster. Filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime,” he added.
Although the White House didn’t deny Trump’s remarks at the time, the President stated the day after the story broke that “this was not the language I used.”
In 2018, Trump’s comments disparaging mainly Black nations while advocating for increased migration from predominantly white countries were widely condemned as racist.
Botswana summoned the U.S. Ambassador, and Senegal’s President Macky Sall expressed shock, saying, “Africa and the Black race merit the respect and consideration of all.”
However, President Trump has since disregarded many decorum standards that guided previous Presidents, both during his initial term and in subsequent years. He frequently includes profanity in public speeches, and this year did so as cameras were rolling on two separate occasions.
On Thanksgiving, while complaining about immigrants on social media, he insulted Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz with an outdated slur for people with intellectual disabilities. When asked if he stood by the comment that many Americans found offensive, Trump showed no remorse. “Yeah. I think there’s something wrong with him,” he stated.
