Trump Africa and Haiti comments overshadows MLK Day

Georgia GOP Sen. David Perdue said Sunday that there had been a "gross misinterpretation" of Trump's remarks in a private meeting, where sources told CNN Trump made the demeaning and dismissive comment about immigrants from Haiti and Africa and added that the U.S. should get more people from countries like Norway, a predominantly white and wealthy nation.

Trump on Friday tweeted a convoluted denial about the comments, which were reported by The Washington Post and The New York Times and confirmed by Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, who attended the meeting at which they were said to have been spoken.

The president was responding to a claim by Democratic Senator Dick Durbin that he used "vile and racist" language during a meeting on immigration reform.

The uproar over the comments that Trump made has spread, not only across the United States, but across the entire world.

Asked Tuesday about Trump and some Republicans challenging his honesty, Durbin tells reporters, "Politics ain't beanbag".

The president, instead, responded by asking "why the USA wants more people from Haiti and African countries", CNN reported.

The State Department says American diplomats in Haiti and Botswana have also been summoned to discuss Trump's remarks. "I stand behind every word that I said", Durbin told reporters in Chicago on Monday. Tom Cotton said in a Friday statement that they did not recall the "sh-hole" comment, and Cotton on Sunday also accused Durbin of misrepresenting Trump's comments.

Nicaragua on Monday joined the global chorus of criticism directed at U.S. president Donald Trump over his reported slur against some poor nations. He elaborated on the way to dinner Sunday night with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., saying Democrats "don't want to help the DACA people".

In a statement, the agency said, "Until further notice, and unless otherwise provided in this guidance, the DACA policy will be operated on the terms in place before it was rescinded".

"My philosophy is very simple: when you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have a moral obligation to do something, to speak up and speak out".

A confidant of Mr Trump has told The Associated Press that the President spent Thursday evening calling friends and outside advisers to judge their reaction to his remarks.

Trump later denied the remarks, but they fit into a larger pattern of him disparaging immigrants who are either non-white or non-Christian or both. "Come to think of it, perhaps Trump doesn't weigh as much as one would think because his tiny hands weigh a gram a piece", Gunn tweeted. Really? This is the guy who refused to rent apartments out to black people, you do know that? "It's the Democrats who don't want to make a deal". Trump in the interview on Wednesday declined to say what specific words he used. Republicans blame Democrats for blowing it up by pushing the Trump expletive story and trying it to perhaps tie DACA to a possible government shutdown over the budget ceiling vote. "Never said 'take them out.' Made up by Dems".

President Trump ordered an end to the program in September and gave lawmakers until March of this year to come up with a legislative fix.