President Trump acknowledged Friday that he used “tough” language during a meeting on efforts toward a bipartisan immigration deal but appeared to deny using the term “shithole” to refer to some countries.
“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!” Trump wrote on Twitter, referring to the Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
Spokesmen for the White House did not respond to a request for clarification Friday. The White House did not deny Thursday that Trump used the vulgarity, first reported by The Washington Post and later confirmed by numerous other news outlets.
In a later tweet, Trump focused on remarks attributed to him about Haiti, saying: “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!”
Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), one of the lawmakers who attended the meeting, said in comments to reporters and in a subsequent written statement Friday that Trump’s denial was false. The president, according to Durbin, “said things that were hate-filled, vile and racist.” Trump used the words “repeatedly,” the senator said.
“I cannot believe that in the history of the White House, in that Oval Office, any president has ever spoken the words that I personally heard our president speak yesterday,” Durbin said.
Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who has been negotiating the immigration policy deal with Durbin and Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), said in an interview with The Post that he was not at the meeting, but heard about Trump’s comments “before it went public. And what I’ve heard reported is consistent about what I heard about the meeting.”
