Trump 'Shithole Countries' Comment: Confirmed, Nearly Eight Years Later

Trump denied the account within a day, tweeting that 'the language used by me... was tough, but this was not the language used' ^[3].

He later said the remarks 'weren't made' and accused Durbin of misrepresenting the meeting ^[1].

Nearly eight years later, at a Dec. 9, 2025 rally in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, an audience member shouted 'shithole' while Trump was discussing immigration policy ^{[1] [3]}.

Trump responded, 'I didn't say shithole, you did,' then recalled the 2018 meeting and acknowledged asking, 'why is it we only take people from shithole countries?' ^[1]

Trump's own account now confirms the substance of Durbin's long-disputed 2018 report. Durbin's account was accurate: Trump used the phrase, and his years of denial were false. ^{[1] [2] [3]}