S*ITHOLE REMARKS: I was totally misinterpreted, Trump tells US Senator

US President Donald Trump has responded to comments made by Democratic Senator Dick Durbin who said that he used “vile and racist” language during a meeting on immigration reform.

In his reply, Trump says he was “totally misrepresented” by those saying he used the term “shithole” to describe African nations noting that the allegation was hurting efforts to strike a deal to protect so-called Dreamer immigrants.

The “shithole” remarks by Trump has sparked widespread condemnation forcing the government’s of Nigeria, South Africa and Botswana to summon US ambassadors in their countries.

Read also: S*ITHOLE ROW: South Africa takes protest to US embassy as Trump insists he’s not racist

Reports say the government of South Africa took their protest to the U.S. embassy in Pretoria and reacting to Trump’s controversial comments that some immigrants from Africa and Haiti come from “shithole” countries, the country’s foreign ministry called the remarks “crude and offensive”.

“Relations between South Africa and the United States, and between the rest of Africa and the United States, must be based on mutual respect and understanding,” the foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

South Africa’s foreign ministry said it would ask the second-in-charge of the U.S. embassy to explain Trump’s comments on Monday.

 

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