Top Republican Leaders Refuse To Condemn Donald Trump’s Sh**hole Comments
Donald Trump has drawn harsh criticism for calling African nations “sh**hole countries” during a DACA meeting last Thursday. The comment was made in front of a bipartisan group of lawmakers as they were attempting to hash out a deal that will protect DACA recipients and increase border security. The president not only rejected the deal, but also went on an expletive-ridden tirade on how the United States should accept more immigrants from places such as Norway, which has an overwhelmingly white population, CNN Reports.
Unsurprisingly, insulting various African nations, Haiti, and El Salvador resulted in condemnation from the American public, the media, Democrats, and of course, the many citizens of the countries he insulted. President Trump’s comments have led to various outlets calling him a racist, plain and simple.
“There is no other word one can use but racist.” said Rupert Colville, a U.N. human rights spokesman. He continued, “You cannot dismiss entire countries and continents as ‘sh**holes,’ whose entire populations, who are not white, are therefore not welcome.”
Democratic Seantor Dick Durbin, who personally attended the DACA meeting, said that the president insulted the African countries repeatedly, using the expletive “sh**hole” to describe them multiple times throughout the meeting.
Amidst the vocal condemnation of the president’s comments, there is the silence of one group: the Republican Party leadership. On Friday, two Republican senators, who were present at the DACA meeting, released statements concerning the president’s comments, CNN reports. Senator Tom Cotton from Arizona and David Perdue from Georgia stated that they “do not recall” Trump making the racially charged comments just a day ago.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said absolutely nothing concerning this matter. In a similar vein, RNC Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel released a press statement condemning the media for not focusing on issues and attempting to distract the public.
When Speaker of the House Paul Ryan spoke out, he timidly called the president’s comments “unfortunate” and “unhelpful.” These simple words amount to the harshest criticism Donald Trump has faced from the Republican leadership.
Not all Republicans are silent, however. Senators John McCain from Arizona and Susan Collins of Maine, who have had no qualms in opposing Trump in the past, have both condemned the statements of the president.
