Which countries did Trump reportedly refer to as "shithole" countries in January 2018?
Executive summary
Reports from January 2018 say President Donald Trump used the phrase “shithole countries” during an Oval Office meeting to describe Haiti, El Salvador and “African countries” broadly (see contemporaneous reporting summarized by PolitiFact, Time and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus) [1] [2] [3]. Major outlets and advocacy groups interpreted the comment as aimed at Haiti and parts or the whole of Africa; some summaries also reference El Salvador as singled out in that meeting [1] [2] [3].
1. What was reported: who and where the phrase came from
Multiple mainstream accounts describe a January 11, 2018 Oval Office session in which senators and lawmakers discussed immigration and temporary protected status; participants and reporting attributed to President Trump the question “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” and identified Haiti, El Salvador and African countries among those referenced [1] [2] [3]. PolitiFact’s roundup and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus statement both summarize those reports and list Haiti, El Salvador and African countries as the targets cited by participants at the meeting [1] [3].
2. How different outlets framed the targets — country names vs. a continent
Contemporaneous coverage shows two complementary framings: some reports cite specific countries named in the meeting — notably Haiti and El Salvador — while others emphasize that Trump referred to “African countries” or “parts of Africa” more generally, effectively grouping many nations under the insult [1] [2] [4]. Amnesty International’s reaction likewise says the comment targeted Haiti and “the entire continent of Africa,” signaling that NGOs viewed the language as broad and continental in scope [4].
3. Official and political reactions then and afterward
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus publicly condemned the remarks, explicitly noting that Trump “attacked immigration from ‘shithole countries’ like Haiti, El Salvador, and African countries,” reflecting swift bipartisan and advocacy backlash [3]. Time’s contemporaneous roundup documented international outrage and quoted global responses noting Haiti, El Salvador and parts of Africa as the focal points of the insult [2]. PolitiFact’s explainer contextualized the language within ongoing immigration-policy debates at the time [1].
4. What the sources agree on — and what they do not
Available sources consistently agree that the meeting produced the quoted vulgarity and that Haiti and African countries were mentioned as examples; several sources also include El Salvador as named in reporting [1] [2] [3]. Sources differ, however, on granularity: some frame the comment as directed at “parts of Africa,” while NGOs and others described it as referencing “the entire continent,” demonstrating variation in interpretation and emphasis across outlets [4] [2].
5. Limitations and unresolved questions in the record
The contemporaneous summaries rely on accounts from meeting participants and subsequent reporting; direct audio or an official transcript of the exact words as uttered has not been published in the materials provided here, and PolitiFact notes that some participants did not publicly dispute the language but also that Trump later denied using that exact term [1]. Available sources do not mention a full, itemized list of every country Trump might have had in mind beyond the named examples [1] — so claims that go beyond Haiti, El Salvador and “African countries” are not documented in the files supplied.
6. Broader context: immigration policy and political stakes
Reporting at the time placed the remark inside a larger negotiation over protections for immigrants from certain countries (temporary protected status and related immigration bills), making clear that the comment was not isolated from policy moves to limit admissions and refugee flows — context emphasized in PolitiFact’s policy-focused piece and AP reporting that noted the contrast drawn to countries like Norway [1] [5]. That policy backdrop helps explain why lawmakers and advocates reacted strongly and framed the language as both a moral and policy affront [1] [3].
7. What readers should take away
The public record in these sources identifies Haiti, El Salvador and “African countries” as the explicit targets reported in January 2018 and shows consistent public condemnation from lawmakers, media and human-rights groups [1] [2] [3] [4]. For more precise forensic claims — for example, a definitive list of every country intended by the speaker — available sources do not provide that level of detail [1].