President Donald Trump has a history of espousing racist ideas and using xenophobic rhetoric to support his policies. On Wednesday, Trump returned to one of the most controversial comments of his first term, denigrating African immigrant communities and calling for more white immigration instead.
Trump confirms ‘s**thole countries’ remark he once denied
Trump gave a typically rambling speech in Pennsylvania on Tuesday during a campaign-style rally to promote his economic policies. His remarks covered a variety of his favorite topics, ranging from boasting about his controversial strikes against alleged drug boats to bringing up old election conspiracy theories. Veering into the subject of immigration, Trump touted his announced ban on immigration from so-called “Third World” countries, naming “hellholes like Afghanistan, Haiti and Somalia” as examples of countries covered by the ban. Responding to an audience member yelling “s**thole,” Trump confirmed having used that slur during his first term.
“We had a meeting, and I said, ‘Why is it we only take people from s**thole countries,’ right?” Trump remarked, referencing a comment he made during a meeting with officials in 2018 in which he referred to Haiti and African nations as “s**thole countries.”
According to sources familiar with the conversation, the comment was in reference to a debate over immigration policies, with Trump telling those present that he’d rather accept more people from European countries. Despite the “s**thole countries” remark being widely reported, Trump posted on social media denying he had used that language. This denial is now directly contradicted by Trump’s remarks in Pennsylvania, in which he boasted about the comment.
Trump continues racist attacks against Somalis
In further reference to Trump’s 2018 comments, he repeated his desire for more immigration from Europe, asking why can’t we have “nice people” from places like Norway, Sweden and Denmark. Trump continued with a racist rant about Somali communities.
“But we always take people from…Somalia,” the president said, “places that are a disaster, right? Filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime. The only thing they’re good at is going after ships.”
Trump has singled out Somalis in recent weeks, making blanket accusations that Somalis in the U.S. are criminals and using them to justify his immigration policies. The latest round of immigration restrictions has come after two National Guard members were shot, one fatally, in an attack allegedly carried out by an asylum seeker from Afghanistan. Trump has also gone after immigrants from Haiti, spreading racist rhetoric against them during his 2024 campaign and recently cancelling temporary protected status for Haitians earlier this year.
Throughout both Trump administrations, the president has used racist remarks to rile up his base and justify his xenophobic policies. With Trump’s latest remarks, he appears to be growing increasingly bold in letting the racist intentions of his policies show.