Some local Haitians not ‘surprised’ by Trump’s immigration comment,

One day after President Donald Trump set off a furor by reportedly referring to Haiti as a “shithole,” some Haitians in Central Florida said they were not surprised by the comments, which some consider to be racially charged.

The president’s remarks, which were reported by several media outlets, came one day before the eighth anniversary of an earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people in the island country. On Friday, Trump said his remarks were mischaracterized.

John Dorine was born and raised in Haiti before moving to the United States in 2011. He’s one of about 30,000 Haitians living in Orange County, according to census records. The University of Central Florida student — a graphic design major — was on his way back from school when he heard about the president’s comments about immigrants.

He said he was hurt but not surprised.

“First off, nobody should be surprised by this,” said Dorine, 22. “This man told you who he was from the beginning.”

“As a people and as a nation, we have to look at ourselves,” he said. “How can we better ourselves?”

Anslin Dieujuste, a math teacher at an Orange County high school, was born in Miami to Haitian parents. He’s studying for his second bachelor’s degree so he can pursue a Ph.D. in physics.

“To me, Haiti is paradise,” said Dieujuste, 31. “Trump likes the reaction. I see him do that on purpose. The damage it does to people is not good.”

Some Haitians, however, are giving the president the benefit of the doubt.

Willer Lazard, 47, said he has lived in America for 14 years. The grocery-store worker said he voted for Trump because he agrees with several of his policy positions, though he concedes the president’s mouth can sometimes get him in trouble.

“He loses his mind sometimes when he’s talking,” Lazard said outside the Haitian Consulate in Orlando. “He doesn’t treat a country like a country; he treats it like a business.”

Lazard says he won’t judge the president’s comments until he is able to hear them for himself.