CNN Dumps on Trump for 'Sh-thole' Remark: Anderson Cooper Chokes Up Over Haiti, Don Lemon Calls POTUS 'Racist'

During a recent White House meeting with senators about immigration, Trump reportedly asked why the United States would want immigrants "from all these sh-thole countries" instead of countries like Norway.

Cooper and Lemon both addressed the situation on CNN Thursday night.

Cooper reflected on his time spent in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake, remembering a 5-year-old boy who was trapped in the rubble for seven days before he was rescued.

"Do you know what strength it takes to survive on rain water, buried under concrete?" Cooper asked.

"Haitians slap your hand hard when they shake it," he said. "They look you right in the eye. They don't blink. They stand tall, and they have dignity. It's a dignity many in this White House can learn from. It's a dignity the president, with all his money and all his power, can learn from as well. On the anniversary of the earthquake, on this day, when this president has said what he has said about Haitians, we hope the people in Haiti, who are listening tonight...we hope they know that our thoughts are with them and that our love is with them as well."

Lemon took a different approach, calling out Trump for being "racist" and his loyal followers for defending indefensible behavior, time and time again.

"How many examples do you need of this?" Lemon asked. "He is a racist. And for all of you who over the last few years have uttered that tired, lazy, uninformed, uneducated, ignorant response of calling me and others who point out racist behavior racist -- you know what you can go do? I can't say that, but you can go read a book, a history book, because you might learn that people from some of those sh-thole countries were slaves who were brought here by force to help build this country. And then start your learning process from there."

"You also might want to do some self-examination," he continued. "What does it say about you -- that no matter what, no matter what -- you continue to make excuses for this man for his vile behavior? Doesn't that make you just as bad, if not worse, than him?"

Lemon added that he was not "shocked" or "outraged" by the comments.

"I'm tired of being outraged, as a matter of fact," he said. "I've been outraged too many times. It's more important to be strategic than to be outraged...otherwise, it becomes a 'sky is falling' situation every time he says something dumb or stupid or racist."

What's worse? The White House didn't exactly deny the president's comments in a statement released after the Post's story went up.

"Certain Washington politicians choose to fight for foreign countries, but President Trump will always fight for the American people," White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah said. "He will always reject temporary, weak and dangerous stopgap measures that threaten the lives of hardworking Americans, and undercut immigrants who seek a better life in the United States through a legal pathway."

Trump took to Twitter Friday morning to deny the report, writing, "The language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough, but this was not the language used. What was really tough was the outlandish proposal made - a big setback for DACA!"