‘A Drug-Infested Den’: In Calls to Heads of Mexico and Australia Trump Makes Offensive Comments – About America

‘I Won New Hampshire Because New Hampshire Is a Drug-Infested Den’

Leaked transcripts of President Donald Trump’s conversations with foreign leaders, obtained by The Washington Post, reveal him as an ill-mannered newly-inaugurated head of state making offensive comments about the citizens who just elected him and the nation he represents. The transcripts show Trump placing politics and appearance over policy while denigrating America, Americans, immigrants, and the very people he is speaking with by telephone.

“New Hampshire is a drug-infested den,” President Trump told Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto on January 27, after begging him to stop saying he would not pay for Trump’s wall. More than a dozen times Trump called the Mexican president “Enrique,” while President Peña Nieto always respectfully called Trump “Mr. President.”

Okay, well thank you very much, Enrique,” Trump told the President of Mexico. “We have enough people coming across, we want to stop it cold,” he added, talking about undocumented immigrants.

“And we have the drug lords in Mexico that are knocking the hell out of our country. They are sending drugs to Chicago, Los Angeles, and to New York. Up in New Hampshire – I won New Hampshire because New Hampshire is a drug-infested den [all bolding added] – is coming from the southern border. So we have a lot of problems with Mexico farther than the economic problem. We are becoming a drug-addicted nation and most the drugs are coming from Mexico or certainly from the southern border,” Trump said, ignoring the prescription drug crisis in the country.

(It should be noted Trump did not win New Hampshire. He lost the state to Hillary Clinton, by a slim margin.)

“We have a massive drug problem where kids are becoming addicted to drugs because drugs are being sold for less money than candy because there is so much of it,” he added.

Here’s how Trump talked about New Hampshire and its drug crisis in February of 2016:

Thursday morning New Hampshire’s Senators demanded an apology for calling their state a “drug-infested den.”

The following day Trump managed to make disparaging remarks again about Americans, to another foreign leader.

In a heated conversation with Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Trump clearly lost his temper. Reports at the time suggested Trump even hung up on Turnbull, but the transcript does not appear to show that. 

But it does show him calling American citizens, presumably the people purportedly who, anecdotal reports claimed at the time, put him into office; Americans living in non-urban areas, who President Trump referred to as, “the local milk people.” 

Speaking about not wanting to honor an agreement made by President Barack Obama to accept Syrian refugees currently in Australia, Trump became furious:

“I will just have to say that unfortunately I will have to live with what was said by Obama. I will say I hate it. Look, I spoke to Putin, Merkel, Abe of Japan, to France today, and this was my most unpleasant call,” Trump told Turnbull, referring to the call he was currently on, “because I will be honest with you. I hate taking these people. I guarantee you they are bad. That is why they are in prison right now. They are not going to be wonderful people who go on to work for the local milk people.”

Trump also exposed his ignorance about a major terror attack against the U.S., and Turnbull had to correct him.

TRUMP
Give them to the United States. We are like a dumping ground for the rest of the world. I have been here for a period of time, I just want this to stop. I look so foolish doing this. It [sic] know it is good for you but it is bad for me. It is horrible for me. This is what I am trying to stop. I do not want to have more San Bernardino’s or World Trade Centers. I could name 30 others, but I do not have enough time.

TURNBULL
These guys are not in that league. They are economic refugees.

TRUMP
Okay, good. Can Australia give me a guarantee that if we have any problems – you know that is what they said about the Boston bombers. They said they were wonderful young men.

TURNBULL
They were Russians. They were not from any of these countries.

TRUMP
They were from wherever they were.

“I think it is a horrible deal,” Trump said, still upset about the refugees, “a disgusting deal that I would have never made. It is an embarrassment to the United States of America and you can say it just the way I said it. I will say it just that way. As far as I am concerned that is enough Malcom [sic]. I have had it. I have been making these calls all day and this is the most unpleasant call all day. Putin was a pleasant call. This is ridiculous.”

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