Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) defended President Donald Trump’s derogatory comments about Haiti and African nations last week, telling MSNBC Tuesday that conditions in Haiti are “disgusting.”
“I probably wouldn’t use the term — the President’s term,” he said, referencing reports that Trump called African countries “shithole countries.” “I will say the conditions in Haiti are deplorable. It’s disgusting. Everywhere you look in Haiti, it’s sheet metal and garbage when I was there.”
Gaetz’ defense of the President comes as Republicans grapple to get their story straight on what Trump said during an Oval Office meeting on immigration reform last week. The Washington Post was first to report that Trump questioned why the U.S. needed more Haitian immigrants and referred to African countries as “shithole countries.” Trump has denied he used that terminology, but admitted he used “tough” language during the meeting, with the White House claiming he’s passionate about pushing for a merit-based immigration system.
During the interview with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes Tuesday, Hayes asked Gaetz whether the President’s criticism of conditions in other countries is theoretically antithetical to his merit-based approach to immigration reform.
“If the idea of merit is the merit is of the person independent of the place they’re coming from, but if the President objects based on the condition of those countries that can’t connect back to merit, can it?” Hayes said.
“Well, I think the President is objecting as a consequence of those countries not contributing to the immigration process in America in a way that benefits our country principally,” Gaetz said. “The President indicated we’ll have an America-first immigration, not an agenda that looks at the needs of people in other countries rather than the needs of Americans.”
This Gaetz character is a CLOWN, but he isn’t the only one complicit in covering for the Fanta Facist.
Oh and there is this.
What’s disgusting is this ignorant, insensitive moran.
People in Haiti don’t live in poverty because they like it, you stupid pig, they live in poverty because their homeland was demolished and has never really recovered — plus years of corrupt government which bled the country dry (which we are now in the process of learning about firsthand thanks to idiots like this).
Can you BLAME them for wanting to try for a better life by getting away?? Isn’t that a positive sign for you “christian” Randian pigs who think people are responsilbe for pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps??
Can you GET ANY MORE HYPOCRITICAL???
/rant
Was Gaetz under arrest for drunk driving when he assessed the disgusting conditions he sees in Haiti?
Here is a photo of the Haiti-DR border.
What is notable is the deforestation, what policy people might call an unsustainable practice and why a charcoal-based economy struggles in the modern world. It is also evidence is why we have development aid programs. It also is a legacy of an almost complete slavery economy. According to the 1788 Census, Haiti’s population consisted of nearly 25,000 whites, 22,000 free coloreds and 700,000 slaves. It is kind of like telling the victim of a mugging that they are a mess and need to get it together.
Matt - stop being a Dickhead . ( When Trumpski goes , you and the other Repubs won*t get your bribe money - should have asked for it up front ) .