South African government wants to know why Trump thinks its people are ‘undesirable’ immigrants

South Africa is among a growing number of countries taking action against President Trump’s remarks last week that Haiti, El Salvador and African nations are “shithole countries” whose inhabitants are not desirable for U.S. immigration.

South Africa’s government called for a meeting Monday with acting U.S. Ambassador Jessye Lapenn in Pretoria as part of a diplomatic protest of Trump’s “disturbing” comments, the Department of International Relations said in a statement Sunday. While officials acknowledged Trump’s denial of the exact language used, they said the president’s denial was “categorical, referring only to Haiti and not addressing the entirety of the statement attributed to him.”

Trump in a tweet Friday appeared to deny using the term “shithole” to refer to those countries but acknowledged using “tough” language during the negotiations over immigration legislation. Few Republicans present during the meeting condemned his remarks, though Senate Minority Whip Richard J. Durbin (Ill.), the lone Democrat present, said that the president’s denial was false and that Trump “said things that were hate-filled, vile and racist.”

Trump blamed Democrats on Sunday for poisoning chances for a deal between key GOP and Democratic lawmakers in deciding the fate of the hundreds of thousands of young immigrants brought to the United States illegally. The president said he “is not a racist” and called himself “the least racist person.”

South African officials said they hope Lapenn can explain Trump’s statement, and why African countries, along with Haiti and El Salvador, “constitute ‘shitholes’ from where migrants into the United States are undesirable.”

“Relations between South Africa and the United States, and between the rest of Africa and the United States, must be based on mutual respect and understanding,” officials said in the statement.
U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Cindy Harvey told the Johannesburg-based news site Daily Maverick that Lapenn would visit the Department of International Relations and Cooperation Monday. Lapenn has been serving as acting ambassador since Patrick Gaspard, who had been appointed by President Barack Obama, left last year.

“We agree to the importance of strong relations between South Africa and the United States that are based on mutual respect and understanding,” Harvey told the news site. “We look forward to continuing to move forward in this relationship and remain focused on accomplishing our shared goals.”