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Five years ago, a speech by U.S. President Donald Trump sparked global anger. It took place at a closed-door immigration conference held at the White House on January 11, 2018.
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He allegedly called African countries, Haiti and El Salvador “shithole countries”.
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The harmful remarks originally reported by the Washington Post were later confirmed by the New York Times and CNN.
President Donald Trump’s phrase has aroused international outrage, condemnation from world leaders, the United Nations and civil rights groups, and promoted ongoing debate on political racism in the United States.
Today, Daily Report Nigeria re-examines the controversy, examining its lasting impact on US-Africa relations, immigration policy, and Trump’s political legacy.
What did a controversial meeting say?
It happened that there was a bipartisan meeting on immigration reform where lawmakers gathered to discuss the protection of immigrants targeting the Children Arrival Action (DACA) and Temporary Protection Status (TPS) programs.
As the senator proposes to extend protection to Haitians, El Salvadors and Africans, Trump reportedly reported:
“Why do we want all these people from Shithole countries to come here?”
The words immediately left his lips, and when the words shocked the MPs to attend, silence ruled the whites.
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In fact, according to the full report from The New York Times, he reportedly proposed that the United States should welcome more immigrants from Norway rather than Africans.
Is this reflected in his 2025 repression of Africans?
Your guess is as good as mine. Five years later, Donald Trump fulfilled his intentions to prevent the “shithole country” from staying in the United States.
Recall that the number of people in Africa will be deported by the U.S. immigration department.
But what did he say earlier in his statement about his 2018 release?
The US president has blatantly denied this. He now goes to Twitter due to strong opposition from the statement, now X sentences and tweets:
“The language I use at DACA meetings is hard, but it’s not the language I use.”
What does he mean is hard?
Trump did not say what he meant, but he denied calling Africans, Haiti and El Salvador shit hole countries.
What do the top American figures say about this?
Well, Senator Dick D-il, who attended the meeting, insisted that Trump did make remarks. He marked them as “full of hatred, evil and deeply offensive.”
In addition, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) did not directly confirm whether Trump made this statement, saying he challenged the remarks during the meeting.
Despite the U.S. president’s insistence on denying, many media outlets, including the Washington Post and the New York Times, supported their reports.
What is the global response to Trump’s statement?
The African Union and world leaders condemn Trump’s comments. The African Union (AU) issued a rare diplomatic statement expressing “shock, disappointment and anger.” Through spokesman Ebba Kalondo, Australia said his words “humiliated the values of respect and dignity of the United States.”
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Haitian government asks U.S. diplomats to interpret Trump’s remarks as
Haitian Americans protested in Miami and New York, rejecting Trump’s statement. They described it as “shocking and shameful.”
Reuters reported that the United Nations labeled it as a “racist.” Reuters reported that UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville condemned the speech, saying,
“You can’t think of the whole country and continent that is not popular as ‘shithholes’.”
Norwegians, whom the president prefers, have made a sarcastic statement to Trump.
The Guardian reported that a newspaper publication of Norwegian citizens asked: “Why did Norwegians move to the United States?”
How Nigerians react to Trump’s statement
Although Trump has always been a favorite among most Nigerians, his statement has brought him bad reviews.
Nigeria’s foreign minister expressed disappointment and concern about this remark.
Social media space has not been missed #shitholecountries The trend lasted for several days.
But surprisingly, at that time, President Buhari never directly condemned Trump’s words. When he later visited Trump at the White House in April 2018, he avoided confrontation and focused on strengthening relations in Nigeria, the United States.
But opposition leaders criticized Buhari for his inadequate response, saying it was a missed opportunity to defend Nigeria’s dignity.
Nigerians in the United States oppose stereotypes. According to Pew Research, Nigerian Americans are one of the well-educated immigrant groups, with more than 60% of college degrees.
The results of Trump’s statement
End Temporary Protection Status (TPS)
200,000 immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and Africa have lost TPS protection.
Travel Ban: In 2020, the U.S. president expanded his controversial travel ban, including Nigeria, including the most populous African countries.
The DACA negotiations failed due to failure to conduct negotiations.
Was Trump influenced by his remarks?
Yes, Trump has been severely affected by his remarks.
He lost his reelection with rival Joe Biden, who won the black and immigrant population from cities including Georgia and Pennsylvania.
