President Donald Trump acknowledged on Tuesday that he indeed used the derogatory phrase "shithole countries" to describe Haiti and African nations during a meeting with lawmakers in 2018. This admission came during a campaign rally held in Pennsylvania, where he deliberately revisited a comment that had sparked widespread international condemnation during his first term in office.
At that time, Trump had initially denied making such contemptuous remarks, but during the rally, he showed little remorse as he recounted his statements. He went on to and further derogate Somalia, labeling it as "filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime." His remarks came on the heels of his recent declaration of a "permanent pause on Third World migration," which he included in his speech while referencing several countries, including Afghanistan, Haiti, and Somalia.
When a supporter in the crowd shouted Trump's infamous 2018 remark, he seized the opportunity to recall the incident with a near-verbatim account that aligned closely with what had been reported at the time by individuals privy to the Oval Office meeting. "We had a meeting and I said, 'Why is it we only take people from shithole countries? Why can’t we have some people from Norway, Sweden?'" Trump recounted before further emphasizing his view on Somalia.
On the day following the initial news break regarding his 2018 comments, the White House did not outright deny Trump's statements. Instead, the President took to Twitter, asserting that "this was not the language I used," and emphasized that he "never said anything derogatory about Haitians." His remarks during the closed-door meeting had been intensely criticized, particularly for their apparent racist undertones, as they juxtaposed predominantly Black nations with a desire for more immigration from predominantly white countries.
In the wake of Trump's comments, several congressional Republicans publicly condemned his remarks, while international leaders voiced their outrage. For instance, Botswana's government summoned the U.S. ambassador, and Senegal's President Macky Sall expressed his shock, emphasizing that "Africa and the Black race merit the respect and consideration of all." This episode marked a significant moment in Trump's presidency, highlighting the stark racial implications of his immigration rhetoric.
Since that incident, Trump has continued to disrupt many norms of political decorum. His public speeches often incorporate profanity, including dropping the F-bomb on live cameras on multiple occasions this year. On Thanksgiving, he made lengthy social media posts critiquing immigrants, during which he also demeaned Minnesota Governor Tim Walz through the use of a dated slur that many perceive as offensive. When pressed by a reporter about whether he stood by a comment deemed inappropriate by many Americans, Trump remained unapologetic, responding, "Yeah. I think there’s something wrong with him."
Overall, Trump's unapologetic stance regarding his previous comments underscores a continued disregard for the sensitivities that typically accompany discussions about race and immigration in American politics. His willingness to revisit and boast about his past remarks further illustrates a pattern of behavior that defies conventional political standards and decorum.
