Trump says ‘I’m not a racist’ and denies ‘shithole countries’ remark

President Akufo-Addo has condemned US President, Donald Trump for recent derogatory remarks he reportedly made against African countries, saying Ghana will “not accept such insults, even from a leader of a friendly country”.

South Africa has summoned a top U.S. Embassy offical for a Monday meeting over President Donald Trump’s alleged remarks that African nations are “shithole countries”.

The debate over immigration policy became increasingly acrimonious after it was reported on Thursday that the Republican president used the word “shithole” to describe Haiti and African countries in a private meeting with lawmakers. Trump used profane language January 11 as he questioned why the US should permit immigrants from certain countries, according to three people briefed on the conversation. “I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed, that I can tell you”.

The comments revived charges that Trump is racist and roiled already tenuous immigration talks that included discussion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA.

“I honestly don’t remember that word being used”, the Senator from Georgia said in an interview, “…but I do remember the conversation about what’s wrong with the current immigration system.

“Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?”

Reports later emerged in USA media that Trump had asked during the meeting: “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?”

Several Democratic representatives have said they intend to skip the president’s State of the Union address later this month over the comments, accusing the president of racism. “Many of them say they were brought here as kids and they weren’t”, he said. It’s about validating and encouraging racism and xenophobia that will potentially disrupt and even destroy the lives of many people, and that’s perhaps the single most damaging and risky effect of this type of comment by a major political figure. “We have to speak up and not try to sweep it under the rug”, Lewis said on ABC’s “This Week”.

The uproar over the comments that Trump made has spread, not only across the United States, but across the entire world. “We’re going to talk DACA”, Trump told reporters. Mr Trump wrote, “I have a wonderful relationship with Haitians”. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who said Trump “said these hate-filled things”, other congressmen argue they didn’t hear Trump’s remarks in the same way.

The administration announced past year that it would end a temporary residency permit program that allowed almost 60,000 Haitians to live and work in the USA following a devastating 2010 natural disaster.

Mr Trump commented as Mr Durbin was presenting details of a compromise immigration plan that included providing $1.6 billion for a first instalment of the president’s long-sought border wall.

However, Republican Sen. Tim Scott, the junior senator from SC, told the Charleston Post and Courier that Graham told him the reported comments are “basically accurate”.

“I believe there is a deal to be had”, he said.

“The President thinks we can get a lot of that done in one year and I agree with him”.

“Generally, I prefer for network anchors to pose questions, rather than answer them”, former CNN correspondent Frank Sesno said of cable news coverage.