Lee Zeldin Defends Trump’s ‘Shithole’ Comment
Lee Zeldin Image by zeldin for congress
By Nathan Guttman January 12, 2018
Only few Republicans chose to stand up for President Trump after news broke of his derogatory comment, referring to immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and Africa as coming from “shithole” countries.
Among those speaking out in Trump’s defense was New York Republican Lee Zeldin, one of two Jewish Republicans in Congress.
“Pres @realDonaldTrump wasn’t elected for his ability or willingness to be politically correct,” Zeldin tweeted. “The fact is that there are many nations in the world struggling mightily… politically & economically, w poor infrastructure, schools, physical security & more.”
Zeldin explained in another tweet while these “third world nations have some of the worst possible challenges imaginable, they also have certain aspects of culture, tradition, values, & religion, that can be emulated the world over.”
The New York Republican concluded his thread by saying that he is “not here to call for the President’s mouth to be washed out w soap & then for him to be physically removed from office. He’s not perfect, but no President has ever been perfect. I’m still very strongly rooting for his success & America’s success in this great new year.”
Contact Nathan Guttman at guttman@forward.com or on Twitter @nathanguttman
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
