President Donald Trump clarified his position on the types of immigrants he wants to come to the U.S. in a Tuesday afternoon appearance in the Oval Office.
NEW: Pressed about whether he wanted immigrants from Norway, but not from Haiti or African nations, Trump insists: “I want them to come in from everywhere, everywhere.”
Then directs press to leave: “Out.”
— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) January 16, 2018
“I want them to come in from everywhere,” Trump said in response to a question from CNN’s Jim Acosta on whether he preferred immigrants to the U.S. from Norway.
The question was sparked by days of media obsession over a purported remark he made during a Thursday oval office meeting with bipartisan lawmakers about African countries.
The Washington Post reported that he said of African countries w”hy are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” He then allegedly suggested more immigrants from countries like Norway should come to the U.S. during a discussion about immigration policy.
Trump has since denied the remark and declared that he is “the least racist person.”