By Jack Shafer
During a meeting with lawmakers at the White House, Trump expressed frustration at the thought of reviving protections for immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and African nations. The vulgar and derisive remarks from the commander in chief quickly earned rebukes from Democratic lawmakers.
But conservative pundits rushed to provide cover for the president, casting the explosive comment as a minor occurrence.
“This doesn’t move the needle at all,” Fox News co-host Jesse Watters said on “The Five.” “This is who Trump is. He doesn’t care. He shoots from the hip. And if he offends some people, fine. There’s so many more offensive things that are happening in this world.”
“The President must apologize to both the American people and the nations he so wantonly maligned,” she wrote.
Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, among the first GOP officials to weigh in
on the controversy, was more reserved, writing on Twitter that he looked
“forward to getting a more detailed explanation regarding the
President’s comments.”
Democratic lawmakers were far less forgiving.
“Breathtakingly offensive,” Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont wrote on
Twitter. “Worse, it’s ignorant of American ideals, and of the strength
we derive from E Pluribus Unum. This is not who we are.”
“I condemn this unforgivable statement and this demeaning of the
office of the Presidency,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland. “I
will always fight for the vulnerable among us and against bigotry in all
its forms.”
