Trump’s, ‘vulgar vile, racist’ slur provokes outrage
President runs for cover when reporters quiz him
DONALD Trump ran for cover last night when he was accused of being a racist for describing Haiti, El Salvador and Africa as ‘s***holes’.
The US President rushed out of a press conference at the White House when reporters tried to quiz him on his comments.
American newspapers reported that he said: ‘Why are we having all these people from s***hole countries come here?’
They said Mr Trump’s remark was in reference to African countries and Haiti.
The Washington Post included El Salvador on its list. He is said to have suggested the US should instead welcome immigrants from countries such as Norway.
Yesterday the president tweeted a denial, saying: ‘This was not the language used.
‘Never said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is, obviously, a very poor and troubled country.’
Dick Durbin, a Democrat politician, said he had been involved in the meeting with Mr Trump, adding: ‘He used these vile and vulgar comments calling the nations they come from ‘s***holes’ – the exact
Awkward for US aid recipients
word used by the President, not just once but repeatedly.’
Rupert Colville, a UN spokesman, said the attributed remarks were racist: ‘You cannot dismiss entire countries and continents as “s***holes’, whose entire populations, who are not white, are therefore not welcome.’
In Botswana, ministers summoned the US ambassador to express displeasure at the ‘irresponsible, reprehensible and racist utterances’.
Mr Trump suffered double embarrassment because the confrontation with reporters was at a Martin Luther King Day event.
Haitian President Jovenel Moise’s government issued a strongly worded statement denouncing what it called a ‘racist’ view of Haitian immigrants and people from African countries.
‘The Haitian government condemns in the strongest terms these abhorrent and obnoxious remarks which, if proven, reflect a totally erroneous and racist view of the Haitian community and its contribution to the United States,’ it said.
The government statement also pointed to history, noting that Haitian soldiers fought on the American side against the British in the Revolutionary War and in the War of 1812.
Haitian Senator Yuri Latortue said the reported remarks were also galling because they came just before the US marks the birthday of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr on Monday.
‘Mr Trump spits on the assassination of this black American icon, as well as on a whole generation of young people, black and white, who gave their lives in the civil rights movement,’ he said.
The UN human rights office said the president’s reported use of an expletive to describe African countries could ‘potentially damage and disrupt the lives of many people’, and the African Union continental body said it was frankly alarmed.
Haiti said it was ‘deeply shocked and outraged’, and called the remarks ‘racist’.
African Union spokeswoman Ebba Kalondo said: ‘Given the historical reality of how many Africans arrived in the United States as slaves, this statement flies in the face of all accepted behaviour and practice.
‘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.’ Some African governments quickly found themselves in an awkward position.
As top recipients of US aid, some hesitated to jeopardise it by criticising Mr Trump, especially as his administration has sought to slash foreign assistance.
‘Unless it was specifically said about South Sudan, we have nothing to say,’ said South Sudan government spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny.
But South Africa’s ruling African National Congress called the comments ‘extremely offensive’.
Deputy secretary general Jesse Duarte said developing countries do have difficulties but the US has millions of people out of work or without health care, and ‘we would not deign to make comments as derogatory’.
South African opposition leader Mmusi Maimane called the comments ‘abhorrent’, adding: ‘The hatred of [Barack] Obama’s roots now extends to an entire continent.’
Botswana’s government called the remarks ‘reprehensible and racist’ and said the US ambassador had been summoned.