Ghana’s president summons US ambassador over Trump’s ‘shithole’ remark

Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo has summoned Robert Porter Jackson, US ambassador, over President Donald Trump’s “shithole” remark.

On Thursday, Trump reportedly expressed his displeasure over people migrating to the US from “shithole countries” at a closed-door meeting.

But Trump has since denied making the remark, saying he used “tough” language at the meeting and not the now infamous word.

In a statement on Sunday, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, Ghana’s minister of foreign affairs, explained that the invitation of the US ambassador is necessary following “unprovoked attacks by president Trump”.

Botchway said Africans, Caribbeans and Haitians are very responsible people who have over the years, presented their positions on issues in the best of their interests.

“The president H.E. Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, this afternoon, summoned the ambassador for the United States of America to Ghana, Robert Porter Jackson to the Flagstaff House on Monday 15th January, 2017 to explain claims by the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump that Africans, Caribbeans and Haitians are from ‘shithole’,” the statement read.

“As a country, we shall not tolerate without response, comments that seeks to denigrate our freedoms and rights.

“We wish to call on Ghanaians to remain calm as we deal with this matter at the level it requires.”