A Maryland pastor reportedly rebuked President Donald Trump for his “shitthole” comments concerning certain countries during a Sunday sermon attended by Vice President Mike Pence.
Rev. Maurice Watson openly denounced the alleged characterization of African nations and Haiti as “shithole countries,” and said that “whoever said it is wrong,” while Pence allegedly grew red-faced in his pew seat, according to the New York Daily News. Watson, who received applause from his congregation, claimed that he felt led by God to make the statement in light of the fact that many of his congregants hail from those nations.
“I stand today as your pastor to vehemently denounce and reject any such characterizations of the nations of Africa and of our brothers and sisters in Haiti,” Watson said, according to NY Daily News. “And I further say: Whoever made such a statement, whoever used such a visceral, disrespectful, dehumanizing adjective to characterize the nations of Africa, whoever said it, is wrong. And they ought to be held accountable.”
Watson did not explicitly name Trump, but phrased the condemnation as a clear jab at the president in the presence of Pence and his wife. He made the comments in response to complaints that Trump reportedly made about immigrants coming from Haiti, El Salvador, and African nations during a January 11 meeting.
“Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” Trump allegedly asked, according to the Washington Post.
The White House issued a statement in response that assured Trump’s commitment to immigration policies that benefit the U.S. but did not deny that he made the offending comments.
Pence neither responded nor commented on Watson’s denunciation of Trump, and chose instead to focus on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., urging social media followers to recommit themselves ” to the cause Dr. King selflessly advanced, that all men are created equal.”
Today we remember the legacy of MLK Jr. His memorial stands tall, but the real memorial to Dr. King resides in the hearts of all who strive for a more perfect union. To honor him, let’s rededicate ourselves to the cause Dr. King selflessly advanced, that all men are created equal pic.twitter.com/2gDuZfQmfC
— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) January 15, 2018
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