Trump defends vulgar remarks while partly denying them
WASHINGTON (AP) â  President Donald Trump  offered a partial denial in public but privately defended  his  extraordinary remarks disparaging Haitians and African countries.
 Trump  said  he  was only expressing what many people think but wonât say about immigrants from economically depressed countries  according to a person who spoke to  the president  as criticism of  his  comments ricocheted around the globe.
 Trump  spent Thursday evening calling friends and outside advisers to judge their reaction  said the confidant  who spoke on condition of anonymity because  he  wasnât authorized to disclose a private conversation.  Trump  wasnât apologetic about the inflammatory remarks and denied  he  was racist  instead  blaming the media for distorting  his  meaning  the confidant said.
Critics of  the president   including some Republicans  on Friday blasted the vulgar comments made in the Oval Office. In a meeting with a group of senators   Trump  had questioned why the U.S. would accept more immigrants from Haiti and âshithole countriesâ in Africa as  he  rejected a bipartisan immigration deal  according to one participant and people briefed on the remarkable conversation.
The comments revived charges that  Trump  is racist and roiled already tenuous immigration talks that included discussion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program  or DACA.
âThe language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough  but this was not the language used â  Trump  insisted in early tweets Friday  pushing back on some depictions of the meeting.
But  Trump  and  his  advisers notably did not dispute the most controversial of  his  remarks: using âshitholeâ to describe African nations and saying  he  would prefer immigrants from countries like Norway instead.
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois  the only Democrat in the room  said  Trump  had indeed said what he was reported to have said. The remarks  Durbin said  were âvile  hate-filled and clearly racial in their content.â He said  Trump  used the most vulgar term âmore than once.â
 Trump  last year ended DACA  which provided young immigrants with protection from deportation along with the ability to work legally in the U.S.  He  gave Congress until March to come up with a legislative fix.
The three Democratic and three GOP senators whoâd struck the deal  Trump  rejected had been working for months on how to balance those protections with Trumpâs demands for border security  an end to a visa lottery aimed at increasing immigrant diversity  and limits to immigrantsâ ability to sponsor family members to join them in America.
On Saturday   Trump  sought to blame âall talk and no actionâ Democrats for lack of an immigration deal.
âI donât believe the Democrats really want to see a deal on DACA. They are all talk and no action. This is the time but  day by day  they are blowing the one great opportunity they have. Too bad!â  Trump  tweeted from Florida as  he  arrived at  his  private golf club in West Palm Beach.
One of the six senators who crafted the bipartisan deal  Democrat Michael Bennet of Colorado  said Saturday that the proposal âhas everything  the president  asked for on the border.â  He  said if  Trump  canât support  it   âitâs difficult to see how we could get  him  to agree to anything that could pass in Congress.â
 Trump  took particular issue with the idea that people whoâd fled to the U.S. after disasters in places such as El Salvador  Guatemala and Haiti would be allowed to stay as part of the deal  according to the people  who spoke on condition of anonymity because they werenât authorized to publicly describe the discussion.
When it came to talk of extending protections for Haitians  Durbin said  Trump  replied: âWe donât need more Haitians.'â
 Trump  insisted Friday that  he  ânever said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is  obviously  a very poor and troubled country. Never said âtake them out.â Made up by Dems.â  Trump  wrote  âI have a wonderful relationship with Haitians. Probably should record future meetings â unfortunately  no trust!â
WASHINGTON (AP) â   [TGT] offered a partial denial in public but privately defended   [TGT]   extraordinary remarks disparaging Haitians and African countries.
  [TGT] said   [TGT]   was only expressing what many people think but  [TGT]  say about immigrants from economically depressed countries  according to a person who spoke to  the president  as criticism of   [TGT]   comments ricocheted around the globe.
  [TGT] spent Thursday evening calling friends and outside advisers to judge their reaction  said the confidant  who spoke on condition of anonymity because   [TGT]   wasnât authorized to disclose a private conversation.   [TGT]   wasnât apologetic about the inflammatory remarks and denied   [TGT]   was racist  instead  blaming the media for distorting   [TGT]   meaning  the confidant said.
Critics of  the president   including some Republicans  on Friday blasted the vulgar comments made in the Oval Office. In a meeting with a group of senators    [TGT] had questioned why the U.S. would accept more immigrants from Haiti and âshithole countriesâ in Africa as  he  rejected a bipartisan immigration deal  according to one participant and people briefed on the remarkable conversation.
The comments revived charges that   [TGT] is racist and roiled already tenuous immigration talks that included discussion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program  or DACA.
âThe language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough  but this was not the language used â   [TGT]   insisted in early tweets Friday  pushing back on some depictions of the meeting.
But  Trump  and   [TGT]   advisers notably did not dispute the most controversial of   [TGT]   remarks: using âshitholeâ to describe African nations and saying   [TGT]   would prefer immigrants from countries like Norway instead.
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois  the only Democrat in the room  said   [TGT] had indeed said what he was reported to have said. The remarks  Durbin said  were âvile  hate-filled and clearly racial in their content.â He said   [TGT]   used the most vulgar term âmore than once.â
  [TGT] last year ended DACA  which provided young immigrants with protection from deportation along with the ability to work legally in the U.S.  He  gave Congress until March to come up with a legislative fix.
The three Democratic and three GOP senators whoâd struck the deal   [TGT] rejected had been working for months on how to balance those protections with Trumpâs demands for border security  an end to a visa lottery aimed at increasing immigrant diversity  and limits to immigrantsâ ability to sponsor family members to join them in America.
On Saturday    [TGT] sought to blame âall talk and no actionâ Democrats for lack of an immigration deal.
âI donât believe the Democrats really want to see a deal on DACA. They are all talk and no action. This is the time but  day by day  they are blowing the one great opportunity they have.  [TGT] tweeted from Florida as   [TGT]   arrived at   [TGT]   private golf club in West Palm Beach.
One of the six senators who crafted the bipartisan deal  Democrat Michael Bennet of Colorado  said Saturday that the proposal âhas everything  the president  asked for on the border.â  He  said if   [TGT]   canât support  it   âitâs difficult to see how we could get  him  to agree to anything that could pass in Congress.â
  [TGT] took particular issue with the idea that people whoâd fled to the U.S. after disasters in places such as El Salvador  Guatemala and Haiti would be allowed to stay as part of the deal  according to the people  who spoke on condition of anonymity because they werenât authorized to publicly describe the discussion.
When it came to talk of extending protections for Haitians  Durbin said   [TGT] replied: âWe donât need more Haitians.'â
  [TGT] insisted Friday that   [TGT]   ânever said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is  obviously  a very poor and troubled country. Never said âtake them out.â Made up by Dems.â   [TGT]   wrote  âI have a wonderful relationship with Haitians. Probably should record future meetings â unfortunately  no trust!â