President Trump on Friday denied that he said what every single news organization in the world says he said.
The Washington Post on Thursday reported that Trump told lawmakers during a meeting on immigration that the U.S. should block immigrants from “s***hole” countries like Haiti, El Salvador and some African nations. While the Post used unnamed sources — identifying them as “several people briefed on the meeting,” which means they weren’t even present — every media outlet ran with the report as if it were fact.
Trump said not so.
He said the brouhaha was “made up” by Democrats.
In its Thursday story, the Post said Trump “grew frustrated with lawmakers Thursday in the Oval Office when they discussed protecting immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and African countries as part of a bipartisan immigration deal, according to several people briefed on the meeting. … ‘Why are we having all these people from s***hole countries come here?’ Trump said, according to these people, referring to countries mentioned by the lawmakers.”
At another point, the Post identifies its sources as “people familiar with the meeting.”
Trump tore into Democrats over the immigration talks and explained his stance on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
Trump said Democrats do not want to negotiate — he wants his proposed wall on the southern border to be a part of any deal to re-establish DACA.