As it happenedended

Trump today - as it happened: African nations demand US President apologises for 's***hole remarks'

Republican says he will not be coming to the UK amid criticism of his alleged comments about Haiti and other countries

Benjamin Kentish

New York

,Clark Mindock

Friday 12 January 2018 05:30 EST

Comments

Trump referred to Haitians and Africans as coming from ‘s***hole countries’

Your support helps us to tell the story

Support Now

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Donald Trump was embroiled in a row extending half-way around the world after reportedly using the term “shithole countries” to describe Haiti, El Salvador and unspecified African nations in a White House meeting about immigration.

Seeking to limit the fallout from the reported comments, the US President described his language as “tough” but denied using a vulgar slur.

The controversy came as he announced he was cancelling his visit to the UK and will now not be travelling London as expected to open the new US embassy next month.

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said the US President had backed down in the face of huge public opposition in Britain and the likelihood of widespread protests.

Mr Trump is quoted as having asked: “Why are we having all these people from s***hole countries come here?"

The Republican said he had cancelled his London visit because of his opposition to the decision to move the US Embassy from Mayfair to Battersea.

MPs did not rush to express their disappointment, with many suggesting the real reason for the cancellation was British public opposition to the visit.

Former Labour leader Ed Miliband wrote in a tweet to Mr Trump: "It's because nobody wanted you to come. And you got the message."

And here's Jon Sharman's full story on Donald Trump's denial over the language he used to describe developing countries:

Donald Trump just denied racist 'shithole' rantDonald Trump has rejected reports that he ranted about immigration from “s***hole countries” in a closed-door discussion at the White House. The US President said there was a “tough” meeting but that “this was not the language used”. His denial followed a series of tweets in which he again called for a “merit-based system of immigration”.

Kristin Hugo12 January 2018 16:29

Fox News may be defending Mr Trump, but former Mexico President Vincent Fox Quesada is taking him to task:

Kristin Hugo12 January 2018 17:01

Cookbook author and Mark Bittman has weighed in on the situation in Haiti, praising the people and insulting President Donald Trump.

Kristin Hugo12 January 2018 17:42

President Donald Trump has left an event honoring civil rights icon Martin Luther to shouted questions from the press.

"Mr President, are you a racist?!" reporters could he heard asking.

Our report:

'Mr President, are you a racist?': Trump bombarded at first public appearance since shole remarksThe IndependentDonald Trump walked out of a photo call to shouts of “Mr President, are you a racist?” from reporters, amid a growing storm over allegations he referred to Haiti and several African nations as “shole countries”. The President was signing a proclamation honouring Martin Luther King Jr Day in the Oval Office, alongside Vice President Mike Pence and several members of Congress.

Kristin Hugo12 January 2018 18:00

Former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele says that President Donald Trump's comments about "s***hole countries" are proof he's racist.

An ex-Republican chairman has said Trump’s ‘shole’ comments prove he's racistThe IndependentA former top Republican says that President Donald Trump’s comments about Haiti and African countries being “sholes” is a clear sign that the commander in chief is racist. Michael Steele, who served as the first black chairman of the Republican National Committee, said on MSNBC that enough is enough, and that Mr Trump’s comments prove the point. “At this point, the evidence is incontrovertible, it’s right there,” Mr Steele said when asked about Mr Trump’s reported comments.

Kristin Hugo12 January 2018 19:19

A US embassy spokesperson has defended the decision to change embassy locations in London, which President Donald Trump had blamed on his cancelled trip to the UK.

Per PA:

"In 2007, the Department developed a plan to finance a new embassy project through a property swap for existing US government property in London."

"This solution allowed construction of a new chancery that meets all security standards, yet used no taxpayer dollars to fund the project."

"The project budget was approximately 1 billion dollars (£730 million) and includes the site purchase, design and construction costs."

"The project has been executed within the established budget. The search for a new embassy site in London considered more than 50 sites."

"A multi-disciplinary team of professionals considered over 170 criteria, to include physical security requirements, and determined that the Nine Elms site was the best overall location for the US government."

"The new US embassy in London will open for business on Tuesday January 16."

Kristin Hugo12 January 2018 19:47

Idioms can be tough to translate. Here's a round-up of how countries around the world have attempted to express President Donald Trump's "s***hole" comments.