President Donald Trump’s remark referring to El Salvador, Haiti and all of the countries in Africa as a “s**thole” is being met, unsurprisingly, with widespread backlash.
Trump’s remark, made during a Thursday meeting with lawmakers from both parties to discuss overhauling the US’s immigration system, blasted El Salvador, Haiti and the nations of Africa.
“Why are we having all these people from sh**hole countries come here?” Trump asked the lawmakers, then responding that America should instead have more immigrants from nations like Norway, whose prime minister he had met with on Wednesday.
He later added, “Why do we need more Haitians? Take them out.”
Trump’s remarks have already been greeted with horror throughout the international community.
“There is no other word one can use but racist. You cannot dismiss entire countries and continents as ‘shitholes’, whose entire populations, who are not white, are therefore not welcome,” Rupert Colville, the United Nations’ human rights spokesman, told reporters during a Geneva news briefing.
Botswana, an African nation, denounced Trump’s comment as “highly irresponsible, reprehensible and racist.” A spokeswoman for the African Union, Ebba Kalondo, stated: “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. 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.”
“In the spirit of the people of Haiti we feel in the statements, if they were made, the president was either misinformed or miseducated about Haiti and its people,” Paul G. Altidor, Haiti’s ambassador to the United States, explained in a statement.
Only a handful of Republican congressmen have denounced Trump’s comment so far — and none of the leaders.
“The (President’s) comments are unkind, divisive, elitist, and fly in the face of our nation’s values. The President must apologize to both the American people and the nations he so wantonly maligned,” Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, stated on Thursday. Rep. Erik Paulsen, R-Minn., offered a similar comment on Twitter.
It is completely inappropriate for the President to refer to other countries in the manner in which he reportedly did, especially given the circumstances and disasters that led many TPS immigrants to seek refuge and shelter in the US
— Rep. Erik Paulsen (@RepErikPaulsen) January 12, 2018
The men and women who have status under the TPS program are among the most humble and hard working in our country. They improve quality of life in our communities and many Americans depend on them to support family life.
— Rep. Carlos Curbelo (@RepCurbelo) January 11, 2018
Under no circumstances is it acceptable to degrade, denigrate, or dehumanize #TPS immigrants. The White House must immediately explain the situation and leave no doubt regarding what was said and in what context.
— Rep. Carlos Curbelo (@RepCurbelo) January 11, 2018
Moreover delivering a permanent solution for #TPS beneficiaries should be a major component of any #immigration deal.
— Rep. Carlos Curbelo (@RepCurbelo) January 11, 2018
Our most important fundraising appeal of the year
December is the most critical time of year for Truthout, because our nonprofit news is funded almost entirely by individual donations from readers like you. So before you navigate away, we ask that you take just a second to support Truthout with a tax-deductible donation.
This year is a little different. We are up against a far-reaching, wide-scale attack on press freedom coming from the Trump administration. 2025 was a year of frightening censorship, news industry corporate consolidation, and worsening financial conditions for progressive nonprofits across the board.
We can only resist Trump’s agenda by cultivating a strong base of support. The right-wing mediasphere is funded comfortably by billionaire owners and venture capitalist philanthropists. At Truthout, we have you.
We’ve set an ambitious target for our year-end campaign — a goal of $250,000 to keep up our fight against authoritarianism in 2026. Please take a meaningful action in this fight: make a one-time or monthly donation to Truthout before December 31. If you have the means, please dig deep.