Donald Trump has a gift for altering reality, not just for himself, but for millions of people. People see and hear him making racists comments, and soon after he denies their reality,. Then, his reality changers come in and sweep the remaining crumbs of reality out the door along with all of the president’s ugly comments.
Trump set off a tsunami of controversy when he asked why the U.S. accepted immigrants from “shithole countries” like El Salvador, Haiti, and African nations, according to Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). The president was in the midst of an immigration reform meeting with Durbin, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and several anti-immigration congressmen.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was also in that meeting and defended her boss, Donald Trump, Sunday morning. She claimed that he was emphatically not a racist during an interview with Fox News Sunday. She said that she could not remember the president “using that exact phrase” when he talked about giving visas to individuals from some countries:
‘I think he has been clear, and I would certainly say undoubtedly the president will use ― continue to use ― strong language when it comes to this issue because he feels very passionately.’
Nielsen was a longtime aide to John Kelly when he was leading the Department of Homeland Security. After he left to become White House chief of staff, she took over his position.
Sens. David Perdue (R-GA) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) had a similar refrain. At first, they also said they could not recall Trump using the same phrase. Later, they adjusted their comments. Perdue told ABC’s This Week’s George Stephanopoulos that Trump “did not say that word.”
.@SenTomCotton on immigration meeting and reported Trump comments: “I didn’t hear it and I was sitting no further away from Donald Trump than Dick Durbin was.” Says @SenatorDurbin “has a history” of misrepresenting what happens in WH meetings. pic.twitter.com/t3GQILBSmj
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) January 14, 2018
He said Durbin’s words were a “gross misrepresentation:”
‘This is a gross misrepresentation, and this is not the first time Sen. Durbin has done it.’
On CBS’s Face the Nation, Sen. Tom Cotton told the host he “didn’t hear” the president say the word.
Rep. Mia Love of Utah is both a Republican and the only Haitian-American in Congress first said that the president should apologize. Yet, when she appeared on CNN’s State of the Union, her language changed:
‘I think that they were unfortunate. I don’t know if they were taken ― I wasn’t in the room. I know the comments were made. I don’t know which context they were made. I’m looking forward to finding out what happened, but more importantly, I’m looking forward to trying to fix the problem. I think we need to ― we have to hold ourselves to a higher standard.’
‘I take a little offense to allegations that the president is racist. I would certainly say undoubtedly the president will use ― continue to use ― strong language when it comes to this issue.’
.@jaketapper: “Were the comments racist, do you think?”@RepMiaLove: “Well, I think they were, yes. I think they were unfortunate” #CNNSOTU https://t.co/PbKWPPbwqp
— CNN (@CNN) January 14, 2018
Civil Rights icon, Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), appeared on ABC’s This Week, where he said that he would not attend Trump’s State of the Union address::
‘[Trump] is a racist. In good conscience, I cannot and will not sit there and listen at him as he gives the State of the Union address.’
Trump, meanwhile, defended himself Sunday on Twitter.
‘I, as President, want people coming into our Country who are going to help us become strong and great again, people coming in through a system based on MERIT. No more Lotteries! #AMERICA FIRST.’
Featured Image via Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla.
