Lee Zeldin Image by zeldin for congress

By Nathan Guttman January 12, 2018

Only few Republicans chose to stand up for President Trump after news broke of his derogatory comment, referring to immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and Africa as coming from “shithole” countries.

Among those speaking out in Trump’s defense was New York Republican Lee Zeldin, one of two Jewish Republicans in Congress.

“Pres @realDonaldTrump wasn’t elected for his ability or willingness to be politically correct,” Zeldin tweeted. “The fact is that there are many nations in the world struggling mightily… politically & economically, w poor infrastructure, schools, physical security & more.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis of the crisis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Zeldin explained in another tweet while these “third world nations have some of the worst possible challenges imaginable, they also have certain aspects of culture, tradition, values, & religion, that can be emulated the world over.”

The New York Republican concluded his thread by saying that he is “not here to call for the President’s mouth to be washed out w soap & then for him to be physically removed from office. He’s not perfect, but no President has ever been perfect. I’m still very strongly rooting for his success & America’s success in this great new year.”

Contact Nathan Guttman at guttman@forward.com or on Twitter @nathanguttman

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask you to support the Forward’s award-winning journalism during our High Holiday Monthly Donor Drive.

This year, we have stood together in strength and sorrow. Our Forward team has worked around the clock to help you find clarity amid the chaos.

If you’ve turned to the Forward in the past 12 months to better understand the world around you, we hope you will support us with a gift now. Your support has a direct impact, giving us the resources we need to report from Israel and around the U.S., across college campuses, and wherever there is news of importance to American Jews.

Make a monthly or one-time gift and support Jewish journalism throughout 5785. The first six months of your monthly gift will be matched for twice the investment in independent Jewish journalism. 

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount