US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he wants immigrants to come to the United States “from everywhere”.
This is according to participants at a White House meeting with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The remark is in stark contrast with his alleged denunciation of immigration from “shithole countries” last week.
Trump has, however, not come out to disown the comment but has said he did not use the language attributed t him.
His alleged slur, which occurred on January 11, comes in the midst of negotiations for a compromise between Republicans and Democrats on the fate of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.
The recipients, who were brought to the US illegally as children, were granted temporary status under former president Barack Obama. The programme has since being discontinued Trump.
On Twitter, Trump hit out at Democrat Senator Dick Durbin, who was present at last week’s meeting and insisted the president used the slur repeatedly.
“Senator Dicky Durbin totally misrepresented what was said at the DACA meeting. Deals can’t get made when there is no trust!” he wrote Monday evening.