House Speaker Paul Ryan calls President Trump’s ‘shithole countries’ comment “very unfortunate” and “unhelpful” https://t.co/G4oirQkl78 pic.twitter.com/AvFzctENn2
— CNN (@CNN) January 12, 2018
It’s clear that President Trump’s remarks regarding “sh*thole countries” are, like his comments made shortly after the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, not going away. Following confirmation from Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Lindsey Graham, as well as denials from Sen. Tom Cotton and Sen. David Perdue, several other members in Congress have renounced President Trump’s comments. Yet another prominent Republican, one in a leadership position, has joined his colleagues in expressing disappointment in the remarks.
Speaking at an event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan was asked what he thought of the President’s remarks and said it wasn’t that long ago that European immigrants were talked about in a similar way:
“So, first thing that came to my mind: very unfortunate, unhelpful,” Ryan said, adding that his own ancestors who immigrated to the United States from Ireland faced similar hostilities when they arrived in America.
“I thought about my own family. My family, like a whole lot of people came from Ireland on what they called ‘coffin ships’ and worked the railroads,” Ryan said. “It is a beautiful story of America, and that is a great story. That is the story today, and that is the story we had yesterday, and that is what makes this country so exceptional and unique in the first place.”
Rep. Ryan, who is the senior-most Republican to address Trump’s remarks, added that his hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin has a number of African immigrants who are “great citizens.”
(Via CNN & Business Insider)