NEW YORK - President Donald Trump's reported use of profane language to describe Haiti and African countries is drawing many reaction from immigrants and New Yorkers alike.

According to people briefed on the Oval Office conversation Thursday, Trump questioned why the U.S. would accept more immigrants from "sh**hole" countries rather than places like Norway.

In a series of tweets Friday morning, President Trump downplayed the reports, saying the terminlogy used in the meeting was "tough".

 

 

 

 

The White House has not denied the report, but says Trump welcomes "those who can contribute to our society."

In a statement, the Haitian government says the comment, "reflects a totally erroneous and racist view of the Haitian community and its contribution the the United States."

"I think that we would just be at a loss and we would be depleted as a nation without the contributions of immigrants. That's what makes America great," said one Haitian New Yorker.

The comments came just a day shy of the eighth anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

The 7.2 magnitude quake struck the capital Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010. 

And although there is no exact death toll, Haiti’s government said more than 300,000 people died in the disaster.

New Yorkers say while there's no excuse for using profanity, they're not surprised by the president's comments, given his history of saying offensive things.

"It's disgusting that we have a president talks in that matter about people. And he says he's going to help out and fix but there's nothing that he's fixing," said one New Yorker.

"Man I really don't know, but I'll tell you, I love Trump...despite that no, I have to look into that and sees what's going on with that. I don't think it's the right thing to do. We're all equal here," said another New Yorker.

Meanwhile, President Trump has canceled an upcoming trip to the UK, blaming the Obama administration.

Trump says he's not happy with Obama's decision to build a new $1.2 billion embassy in London.

In a late night tweet Thursday, the president said he refuses to cut the ribbon for the unveiling.

Although not officially announced, the trip would have marked Trump's first visit to the UK as president.

Mass protests in London were expected upon his arrival.

Trump received widespread backlash for his criticism of Muslims and London's Mayor after a terror attack in the city last year.