Shithole Countries: Documented Racist Immigration Comments in White House Meeting

Overview

Multiple senators present at the meeting confirmed what was said. Senator Durbin confirmed it directly and publicly, in detail. The White House issued a response that did not deny the specific words before Trump later claimed he hadn't used them.

The words described majority-Black countries as holes to be avoided while praising a predominantly white European country as the source of desirable immigrants.

The Meeting

The meeting was about immigration legislation. A bipartisan group of senators had assembled a framework they thought could get 60 votes. They brought it to the Oval Office to discuss.

Trump's question about why the United States would want people from "shithole countries" rather than from Norway came in the context of debating which immigrants should be admitted. The contrast was specific: Haiti and African nations on one side, Norway on the other. He had met with Norway's prime minister the day before and expressed admiration for Norway.

The policy content of the comment was explicit: immigrants from majority-Black countries were undesirable. Immigrants from a predominantly white European country were desirable.

The Confirmation

Dick Durbin was in the room. He confirmed the words publicly. He described them as hate-filled, vile, and racist. He has not retracted that description.

Graham reportedly objected in the meeting. He later confirmed the substance without denying the specifics.

Perdue and Cotton's account evolved from "we don't recall" to "he didn't say those specific words" — a significant shift that analysts noted was different from a denial.

Nielsen said she did not recall the exact language. She was present.

The Pattern

The "shithole" comment was not an isolated incident. Trump had previously said Haitian immigrants "all have AIDS," that Nigerian immigrants would "never go back to their huts," and opened his 2015 campaign by calling Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals. The January 2018 comments were consistent with a documented pattern of racial characterizations in immigration discussions that spanned years.