Trump denies making 'shithole' comment against immigrants from Africa, says used 'tough' language

Afrter massive outrage and protest from United Nations, US President  Donald Trump denied using the word 'shithole' for immigrants from Haiti and African countries. He gave the clarification on Twitter on Friday, after Washington Post first reported the story. He however agreed to using tough language and blamed the Democrats for lack of progress in the DACA meeting. 

Trump accused Democrats of cutting funds for military, which is unacceptable to him.  He also said that Democrats are not offering a fair deal for DACA. However Trump according to reports, spoke favourably about immigrants from Asia, something which will go down well with the Indian- American community.  He also said in future probably he needs to record the meetings to avoid such confusion. 

Here's what Trump tweeted as an attempt to clear the air:

....Because of the Democrats not being interested in life and safety, DACA has now taken a big step backwards. The Dems will threaten “shutdown,” but what they are really doing is shutting down our military, at a time we need it most. Get smart, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018

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

Sadly, Democrats want to stop paying our troops and government workers in order to give a sweetheart deal, not a fair deal, for DACA. Take care of our Military, and our Country, FIRST!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018

Never said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is, obviously, a very poor and troubled country. Never said “take them out.” Made up by Dems. I have a wonderful relationship with Haitians. Probably should record future meetings - unfortunately, no trust!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018

Earlier reports indicated Donald Trump has expressed frustration over efforts of some US lawmakers to protect immigrants from Haiti and African countries, asking why America should accept citizens from "shithole" countries, triggering protests.

Trump met senators and congressmen and pushed for immigrants from certain Asian countries who help America economically. "Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?" Trump was quoted by multiple media reports. The president was referring to African countries and Haiti, and then suggested the US should welcome immigrants from places like Norway, whose prime minister met with Trump on Wednesday.
His comments, which has been slammed by Democratic lawmakers, was first reported by The Washington Post.

Trump, according to a White House official, also suggested he would be open to more immigrants from Asian countries because he felt they help the US economically, The report said. Notably, Trump has been calling for merit-based immigration, of which people from countries like India could be a major beneficiary. Trump said this during a bipartisan meeting of lawmakers in his Oval Office. "Certain Washington politicians choose to fight for foreign countries, but President Trump will always fight for the American people," said Raj Shah, the Principal Deputy White House Press Secretary without directly referring to Trump's comments.
Trump has been seeking to end temporary protection status of people from certain countries.

Several Democratic lawmakers slammed Trump for his comments and described them as racist comment. "President Trump's comments are racist and a disgrace. They do not reflect our nation's values. Immigrants from throughout the world of all races, nationalities, and religions have built this country and are contributing today to its improvement," said House Democratic Whip Steny H Hoyer. "These comments clearly reflect the President's true feelings on immigrants and make it extremely doubtful that he will work in an honest, decent way that reflects America s best values on legislation to protect DREAMers," Hoyer said. "As an American, I am ashamed of the president. His comments are disappointing, unbelievable, but not surprising.

The UN human rights office says President Donald Trump's reported use of an expletive to describe Africa and other countries could "potentially damage and disrupt the lives of many people."

Repeating the term attributed to Trump a day earlier, spokesman Rupert Colville says that "you cannot dismiss entire countries and continents as 'shitholes'." Colville said today that the comments, if confirmed, were "shocking and shameful" and "I'm sorry, but there's no other word one can use but racist." He says Trump's reported comment could endanger lives by potentially fanning xenophobia: "It legitimises the targeting of people based on who they are."

The African Union continental body told The Associated Press it was "frankly alarmed" by Trump's comments. "Given the historical reality of how many Africans arrived in the United States as slaves, this statement flies in the face of all accepted behavior and practice," AU spokeswoman Ebba Kalondo said. "This is particularly surprising as the United States of America remains a global example of how migration gave birth to a nation built on strong values of diversity and opportunity." African governments quickly found themselves in an awkward position. As top recipients of US aid, some hesitated to jeopardize it by criticizing Trump, especially as his administration has sought to slash foreign assistance.

With PTI inputs