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President Trump Calls Africa, Haiti, El Salvador “Shithole Countries”

HeadlineJan 12, 2018

President Donald Trump sparked international outrage Thursday over a racist comment in which he said the U.S. should limit immigration from Haiti, El Salvador and African nations in favor of countries with majority white populations. While meeting with lawmakers at the White House, Trump reportedly said, “Why do we want all these people from Africa here? They’re shithole countries … We should have more people from Norway.” Trump’s latest racist comments came just after his administration announced it is ending temporary protected status for up to 250,000 Salvadorans who have been living in the U.S. since at least 2001. Last year, the Trump administration announced it is also ending temporary protected status for tens of thousands of Haitian, Nicaraguan and Sudanese immigrants living in the United States. The comments drew swift international condemnation. This is Haitian grassroots activist René Civil, speaking from Port-au-Prince.

René Civil: “Donald Trump is more than just a cancer on the world, and not just throughout the world, but particularly for the American people. … He’s a president who’s destabilizing, a president of vulgar words, who is unacceptable.”

Trump’s remarks prompted the New York Daily News to publish a banner headline featuring Trump’s likeness superimposed over a cartoonish “poop” emoji, with the headline, “S**T FOR BRAINS: Trump spews vicious slur against immigrants.” After headlines, we’ll have more on President Trump’s racist remarks. We’ll go to Florida to speak with acclaimed Haitian-American novelist Edwidge Danticat.

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