Here's How Politicians Are Reacting To Trump's Calling African Nations 'Shithole Countries'
In what's become a familiar ritual whenever the president says something racist or otherwise offensive, politicians from both parties have issued statements condemning Trump's description of African countries as "shithole countries" and his insulting comments about Haiti and El Salvador in a bipartisan meeting about immigration policy yesterday. Well, not all politicians from both parties — a few Republicans punted, and one even defended Trump's comments. (Looking at you, Steve King of Iowa.) Here's how senators, representatives and other prominent public servants have reacted.
We'll be updating this post as more reactions come in.
Democrats
Senator Dick Durbin
Senate Minority Whip Durbin (D-IL), who was in the meeting at which Trump made the racist comments, confirmed to CNN that Trump asked "Do we need more Haitians?" and repeatedly called African countries "shitholes." He called these comments "hate-filled, vile and racist."
As Senator Graham made his presentation, the president interrupted him several times with questions and in the course of his comments said things which were hate-filled, vile and racist… I cannot believe that in the history of the White House, in that Oval Office, any President has ever spoken words that I personally heard our President speak yesterday. You've seen the comments in the press. I've not read one of them that's inaccurate. To no surprise, the President started tweeting this morning, denying that he used those words. It is not true. he said these hate-filled things, and he said them repeatedly.
[via CNN]
Senator Kamala Harris
Senator Harris (D-CA) tweeted that immigrants from Haiti, Africa and elsewhere should not be "demeaned and insulted."
Representative Al Green
Representative Green (D-TX), who has previously introduced articles of impeachment for Trump, wrote, "Talk is cheap" and promised to re-introduce a resolution to impeach the president.
Representative Karen Bass
Representative Bass (D-CA) minced no words in calling out Trump's racism.
Representative Jim McGovern
Representative McGovern (D-MA) wrote that Trump "is a racist" and called on Republicans to denounce his comments.
Senator Dianne Feinstein
Senator Feinstein (D-CA) called Trump's comments "disgusting" on Twitter. She later added, "There's no room for racism in the Oval Office."
Republicans
Representative Barbara Comstock
Representative Comstock (R-VA) said she "can't defend what the President reportedly said" and quoted Ronald Reagan in a statement.
Representative Steve King
Representative Steve King (R-IA), one of the most openly racist members of Congress, tweeted defiantly in defense of Trump's "shithole" comment.
Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele
In an appearance on MSNBC, former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele said yes when asked whether he thinks Trump is racist.
"Yeah, I do," Steele said. "At this point… the evidence is controvertible."
Steele also said Trump uses race as a tool "to move people emotionally to a space where he wants them to be to get a reaction out of them."
"There are a whole lot of folks like Donald Trump," Steele said. "White folks in this country who have a problem with the browning of America…When they talk about [wanting] their country back, they are talking about a country that was very safely white, less brown and less committed to that browning process."
[The Hill]
Representative Mia Love
Representative Mia Love (R-UT), the first Haitian-American person elected to the House of Representatives, released a statement calling Trump's comments "unkind, divisive, elitist" and "unacceptable."
Senator Orrin Hatch
Senator Hatch (R-UT), who recently announced his forthcoming retirement, issued a mild statement asking for "a more detailed explanation regarding the President's comments."
Senator James Lankford
Senator Lankford (R-OK) released a statement calling Trump's comments "disappointing."
If these comments are accurate, they are disappointing. I would not talk about nations like this, because I believe the people of those countries are made in the image of God and have worth and human dignity.
[via CNN]
Ohio Governor John Kasich
Kasich, a former presidential candidate, called for "respectful rhetoric" around immigration.
Senator Tim Scott
Senator Scott (R-SC), the only black Republican in the Senate, called the comments "disappointing" and asserted, "Our strength lies in our diversity."
Representative Paul Ryan
Ryan (R-WI), the Speaker of the House, called Trump's comments "unfortunate" at a political luncheon in Milwaukee.
"I read those comments later last night, the first thing that came to my mind was very unfortunate, unhelpful," the Wisconsin Republican said at WisPolitics Luncheon in Milwaukee.
Ryan recalled his own family history of emigrating to the US from Ireland.
"So, I see this as a thing to celebrate," he said. "And I think it's a big part of our strength."
[CNN]
Senator John McCain
Senator McCain (R-AZ) suggested in a tweet that Trump's comments "oppose the very idea of America."
Senators Tom Cotton and David Perdue
Senators Cotton (R-AR) and Perdue (R-GA), who both attended the meeting at the White House yesterday, jointly released a statement saying they "do not recall the President saying these comments" and accused Senator Durbin of acting in bad faith. For what it's worth, Senator Scott (R-SC) told the Charleston Post and Courier that Senator Lindsey Graham privately confirmed to him that Durbin's account was correct.
Senator Lindsey Graham
Shortly after Cotton and Perdue released their joint statement, Senator Graham (R-SC) released his own statement confirming that Graham heard Trump say what has been reported and that Graham confronted Trump about his comments at the time. "Following comments by the President, I said my piece directly to him yesterday," Graham wrote. "The President and all those attending the meeting know what I said and how I feel."