Just days after declaring to American legislators that Haiti and nations on the African continent are "sh*thole countries", the U.S. President is denying that he is a racist.
"I am not a racist," he said reporters at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Fla., adding that "I'm the least racist person you will ever interview."
Media reports of Trump's use of the explosive term to describe countries that are not predominantly populated by white people, which first emerged late Thursday, were quickly corroborated by some of the legislators from the bipartisan group Trump had been meeting with when he made the comments.
Among them was Senator Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, who said the President used "hate-filled, vile and racist" language during the meeting.
Lindsey Graham, South Carolina's Senior Republican Senator, also did not deny the President made the remarks, adding that "I said my piece directly to [Mr. Trump] yesterday" following the comments.