Politics

Speaker Ryan Says Trump’s ‘S***hole Countries’ Remarks Are ‘Unhelpful’

Juliegrace Brufke Capitol Hill Reporter
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House Speaker Paul Ryan regarded President Donald Trump’s alleged comments calling Haiti, El Salvador and African nations “sh*thole countries” as “unfortunate” and “unhelpful” Friday.

Trump came under fire for his alleged remarks following a bipartisan immigration meeting with senators at the White House Thursday.

“I read those comments later last night, the first thing that came to my mind was very unfortunate, unhelpful,” Ryan said at a WisPolitics luncheon in Milwaukee.

Ryan said the reports made him think of his own family, which immigrated from Ireland.

“It is a beautiful story of America. That is a great story,” he said. “That is a story we have today. That is the story we had yesterday, and that is what makes this country so exceptional and unique in the first place. I see this as a thing to celebrate. I think it’s a big part of our strength, whether you are coming from Haiti.”

Ryan reiterated he is dedicated to finding a legislative solution to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program — the Obama-era initiative that extended temporary legal status to foreign nationals who illegally entered the country as minors — in coming weeks.

In response to the criticism over his alleged comments during the immigration meeting, Trump tweeted, “The language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough, but this was not the language used. What was really tough was the outlandish proposal made – a big setback for DACA!”

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