Condemn Trump’s 'shithole' comment – Mahama

Former Ghanaian leader John Mahama has said the recent “shithole” comment by U.S. President Donald Trump betrays his racist agenda to make America a white-only country and has urged leaders of African Union countries to respond to the American leader as Botswana has done.

Mr Trump described El Salvador, Haiti and certain African nations as “shithole” countries during a meeting with lawmakers at the White House on Thursday.

“Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” Mr Trump asked, after being presented with a proposal to restore protections for immigrants from those countries as part of a bipartisan immigration deal. The Washington Post reported the remarks citing aides briefed on the meeting.

Trump demanded to know why the US would accept immigrants from these countries rather than places like Norway, whose prime minister he had met the day before.

Mr Trump has received international condemnation for his comment, one of those criticisms coming from Botswana, whose Ministry of International Affairs and Cooperation called on the US's ambassador to Botswana "to express its displeasure at the alleged utterances made by the President of the US."

The ministry also asked the ambassador to clarify whether the US regarded Botswana as a "shithole" country, adding that Trump's comments were "highly irresponsible, reprehensible, and racist."

Mr Trump, on Friday, however, denied making those comments. "The language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough, but this was not the language used. What was really tough was the outlandish proposal made – a big setback for DACA!"

The language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough, but this was not the language used. What was really tough was the outlandish proposal made - a big setback for DACA!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018

Reacting to Mr Trump’s "shithole" comment, Mr Mahama tweeted: “Africans and Haitians come from ‘shithole’ countries? Isn’t Trump demonstrating that he’s nothing but a racist and pursuing a policy of ‘Make America White Again’? I congratulate Botswana for showing the way. Our AU Presidents must respond strongly to this insult.”

Africans and Haitians come from ‘shithole’ countries? Isn’t Trump demonstrating that he’s nothing but a racist and pursuing a policy of ‘Make America White Again’? I congratulate Botswana for showing the way. Our AU Presidents must respond strongly to this insult.

— John Dramani Mahama (@JDMahama) January 12, 2018