Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in a Sunday show interview argued that both sides of the aisle are “destroying the setting” for an immigration compromise, as the debate continues over President Trump’s reported “shithole countries” comment.
During an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Paul argued that lawmakers won’t reach a deal on immigration if individuals continue calling Trump a racist over his reported comment about African nations, Haiti and El Salvador.
{mosads}“But what I regret is I do want to see an immigration compromise. And you can’t have an immigration compromise if everybody’s out there calling the president a racist,” Paul told host Chuck Todd.
Trump has faced intense scrutiny in recent days after The Washington Post reported that he referred to immigrants from African nations, El Salvador and Haiti as coming from “shithole countries.” Critics have condemned the remark as racist.
Paul’s comments come as lawmakers have yet to reach a deal on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Trump said last year he would rescind the Obama-era program, but provided Congress with a window to craft a legislative fix.
“But both sides now are destroying the setting in which anything meaningful can happen,” Paul added.