Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz had plenty of critical things to say about the island nation of Haiti, but stopped short of condemning President Donald Trump for his recent comments about immigrants from so-called “shithole” countries.
During an appearance on MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes”, the congressman defended Trumps’s racist remarks, echoing the president’s viewpoint that “the conditions in some countries are really bad.”
Hayes made an effort to tug at Gaetz’ heartstrings by asking if he would be understandably upset if someone described his district of Okaloosa County as a “shithole” – but to no avail.
“Yes, [but] I could also prove you wrong,” Gaetz told the MSNBC host. “I could bring you to Okaloosa County and show you that its the home of the most beautiful beaches in America. I don’t know if Haiti can make the same claim.”
Gaetz went on to describe the conditions in Haiti as “deplorable,” saying all he saw was “sheet metal and garbage” when he was there.
Hayes rolled his eyes in visible disbelief at the lawmaker’s response, and things only worsened from there.
