U.S. President Donald Trump (Xinhua photo)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump Sunday denied that he was a "racist," despite having pushed for tougher immigration policies.
"I'm not a racist. I am the least racist person you have ever interviewed, that I can tell you," Trump told reporters before a dinner with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Trump made the remark as the U.S. government is discussing the fate of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which was introduced in 2012 to offer legal status to those foreigners who came to the United States as minors. Those enrolled in the program, about 800,000, are known as dreamers.
Trump signed an executive order ending DACA, but last week a federal judge in California ruled that halting the program was unlawful and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services resumed accepting new applications on Saturday.
Trump has blamed the Democrats for refusing to negotiate a deal on DACA.
"We're ready, willing, and able to make a deal on DACA, but I don't think the Democrats want to make a deal. And the folks from DACA should know the Democrats are the ones that aren't going to make a deal," he said.
