Trump Calls Haiti and African Nations "Shithole Countries," Asks Why US Can't Get Immigrants from Norway

President Trump refers to Haiti, El Salvador, and the African continent as "shithole countries" during a January 11, 2018 bipartisan Oval Office meeting on immigration with senators including Dick Durbin and Lindsey Graham. Trump asks why the United States should accept immigrants from those nations instead of countries like Norway. The White House does not deny the remarks; Trump tweets the following morning that "this was not the language I used" before shifting to deny saying anything "derogatory" about Haitians. Senator Dick Durbin confirms Trump used the language. Senator Lindsey Graham, who is present, does not dispute the account. The UN human rights office calls the comments "racist" and "shocking and shameful." Botswana's government summons the U.S. ambassador. The African Union expresses alarm. Haiti's government calls the remarks evidence of Trump's "racist view of the Haitian community." Trump later brags about the comment publicly at a 2025 Pennsylvania rally, confirming the account.