"Mr. President, Are You A Racist?" Trump Asked After Signing MLK Jr. Declaration

President Donald Trump would not face reporters as they asked him questions about his use of the phrase "shithole countries" after he signed a declaration honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. during a ceremony at the White House on Friday morning. (Photo: Twitter/@Jbendery)

"Mr. President, Are You A Racist?" Trump Asked After Signing MLK Jr. Declaration

"Mr. President, did you refer to African nations as 'shitholes'?" queried another reporter after the signing.

In the wake of reports that President Donald Trump referred to African nations as "shitholes" during a meeting with lawmakers on Thursday, the president was asked to account for those comments by reporters on Friday morning after he signed a resolution honoring the work of civil rights hero Martin Luther King, Jr..

"Mr. President, did you refer to African nations as 'shitholes'?" queried one reporter after the signing.

"Mr. President, are you a racist?" asked White House correspondent April Ryan.

The president did not answer or respond.

Watch:

While Trump earlier in the day took to Twitter and denied he used the vulgar and racist language to describe other nations, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) subsequently went on the record, as one of six lawmakers in the room when the remarks were allegedly said, and confirmed that the president did, in fact, use those "hate-filled" words.

"He said these hate-filled things," Durbin said. "And he said them repeatedly."

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