Fox News’s Geraldo Rivera pleaded with President Trump on Saturday to apologize for decrying immigration from “shithole countries,” invoking a recent phone call in which Rivera told the president that he loves him “like a brother.”
“@realDonaldTrump last week I told you on phone that I love you like a brother,” Rivera tweeted. “In that spirit I ask you to apologize for your unfortunate remarks. I’m in hospital getting back surgery My skilled compassionate nurse is from #Kenya She told me how you’d hurt her family’s feelings.”
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In another tweet, Rivera also called on Trump make his administration “more inclusive” and reflective of the United States’ diversity.
Rivera’s tweet came two days after reports surfaced that Trump demanded in a meeting with lawmakers to know why the U.S. admits immigrants from “shithole countries,” referencing Haiti, El Salvador and various African nations.
In that meeting, he also reportedly said that the U.S. should aim to admit more immigrants from countries such as Norway.
The reported remarks drew immediate backlash from immigration advocacy groups, foreign governments and lawmakers, many of whom accused the president of racist behavior.
Trump denied in a pair of tweets on Friday that he used such language to describe any country, but said that Haiti is a “very poor and troubled country.”