11.12.2025 13:05
U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed in a speech in Pennsylvania that he had used a controversial expression in the past. Trump stated that they would not accept immigrants from countries he described as "shithole" countries, such as Afghanistan, Haiti, and Somalia. He had used this expression for the first time during a meeting with senators. Trump mentioned that he questioned why they were not taking in more people from countries like Norway, Sweden, or Denmark.
US President Donald Trump confirmed his controversial remarks from years ago for the first time during a speech in Pennsylvania. The speech, which was supposed to focus on the economy, quickly turned into a discussion about immigration as Trump went off-topic.
Trump stated, "I announced that I have permanently stopped the Third World immigration coming from many 'shithole' countries like Afghanistan, Haiti, Somalia." At that moment, someone in the crowd shouted "shithole." Trump then laughed and replied, "I didn't say that, you said it."
However, shortly after, Trump detailed a past meeting with senators and repeated his controversial expressions himself.
After relaying that Democratic senators said in that meeting, "This meeting is completely confidential, we want to speak openly," Trump continued:
"I told them: Why are we constantly taking people from countries that are referred to as 'shitholes'? Why don't we take a few people from Norway, Sweden, or Denmark? Send a few good people, what's the harm, right? But we always take people from countries that are filled with problems like Somalia, dirty, filthy, high crime rate."
Trump did not specify the exact date of the meeting, but his account completely aligns with the meeting that sparked the famous "shithole countries" controversy in 2018. At that time, CNN reported that Trump questioned immigrants coming from Haiti and African countries, while expressing a desire for more people to come from countries like Norway.
The report also mentioned a source stating that Trump asked in that meeting, "Why do we want to take people from these 'shithole' countries here?"