President Donald Trump, in a series of tweets early Friday, said that his language about a deal involving the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals was “tough,” but
“this was not the language used,” referencing a vulgarity he allegedly used in rejecting the proposal on Thursday.
Trump also called the DACA deal “a big step backwards,” and called for a “merit-based system” of immigration.
The tweets came a day after a contentious meeting between the president and several congressional members.
A person familiar with the meeting told CNN that Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin and South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham brought a plan to Trump that involved cutting the visa lottery in half and while the rest would go to underrepresented countries in Africa and Temporary Protective Status nations, including Haiti. The person said the language was salty on both sides, CNN reported.
One person briefed on the meeting said when Durbin brought up the subject of Haiti, Trump questioned it in vulgar terms and added that the U.S. should get more people from countries like Norway.
Friday, Trump took to Twitter, saying that the “so-called bipartisan DACA deal” was “a big step backwards.”
“Wall was not properly funded, Chain & Lottery were made worse and USA would be forced to take large numbers of people from high crime countries which are doing badly,” Trump tweeted. “I want a merit-based system of immigration and people who will help take our country to the next level. I want safety and security for our people. I want to stop the massive inflow of drugs.”
Trump later tweeted that while his language was tough, “This was not the language used.”
“What was really tough was the outlandish proposal made,” Trump tweeted.
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