"Shithouse Countries": Trump Slams Senator Over Haiti Bill, Cites Immigration from Libya, Somalia

US President Donald Trump on Saturday (local time) targeted Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff over his support for legislation seeking temporary protected status for Haiti, reviving his controversial “shithole countries” remarks at a campaign rally in Perry, Georgia.

Addressing a gathering in support of Republican candidates, Trump accused Ossoff of backing a bill that would bring migrants from what he described as “terror-infested countries”, naming Libya, Yemen, Haiti and Somalia. “Remember what I called them? Shithouse countries,” Trump said, recalling the backlash he faced after making similar remarks in 2018.

Trump also made disparaging claims about Somalis living in the US, alleging that 98 per cent did not work and benefited from theft. He claimed that they lived better than Americans despite what he described as their low intelligence, making further derogatory comments about the community.

Recalling an earlier meeting with Democratic senators on immigration policy, Trump said he had questioned why the US accepted immigrants from countries he considered undesirable instead of countries such as Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

The legislation at the centre of the latest controversy, S. 4814, was introduced in the US Senate on June 17 by Democratic Senator Ed Markey and other lawmakers. It sought to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for temporary protected status until three months after January 20, 2029. Ossoff supported the bill by signing on as a co-sponsor.

Trump’s remarks revive a controversy dating back to January 2018, when reports emerged that he had used the phrase “shithole countries” while discussing immigration with senators behind closed doors. The meeting reportedly focused on immigration policy and the status of migrants from Haiti and African countries.

According to a CNN report published in December 2025, Trump later acknowledged using the phrase during a speech in Pennsylvania, recalling his preference for immigrants from countries such as Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The report said his account matched earlier media reports about the 2018 meeting.

During the original controversy, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin publicly confirmed that Trump had used the phrase. Trump denied Durbin’s account at the time, while Republican Senator David Perdue, who attended the meeting, said he did not recall Trump using the language. Then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen also said she did not remember the specific phrase.

Durbin later said on the Senate floor that Trump’s acknowledgement vindicated his account of the meeting, according to CNN. The latest remarks have once again drawn attention to Trump’s rhetoric on immigration as he campaigns for Republican candidates ahead of the US midterm elections in November.

With inputs from ANI