Botswana condemned President Trump’s comments calling African nations “shithole countries” in a fiery statement Friday.
The country said it had summoned the U.S. ambassador for the nation to “express its displeasure at the alleged utterances” made by Trump, adding that the comments were “highly irresponsible, reprehensible and racist.”
{mosads}“The Botswana Government has also enquired from the U.S. Government through the Ambassador, to clarify if Botswana is regarded as a ‘shithole’ country given that there are Botswana nationals residing in the U.S., and also that some of Botswana may wish to visit the U.S.,” the statement read.
The statement also questioned why Trump “must use this descriptor and derogatory word, when talking about countries with whom the US has had cordial and mutually beneficial bilateral relations for so many years.”
The Washington Post reported Thursday that Trump had made the comments about African countries as well as Haiti and El Salvador during an Oval Office meeting with lawmakers on immigration.
“Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” Trump said, The Post reported.
The White House did not deny that Trump made the comments. But Trump pushed back against the report on Twitter Friday.