On Tuesday, former President Donald Trump acknowledged using the derogatory term “shithole countries” to refer to Haiti and African nations during a 2018 discussion with lawmakers. This admission revisited a remark that had provoked international backlash during his presidency.

At the time, Trump had denied making such a disparaging comment in a private meeting. However, during a Pennsylvania rally, he openly recounted the incident without hesitation. He further criticized Somalia, describing it as “filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime.”

In his address, Trump highlighted his recent declaration of a “permanent pause on Third World migration,” specifically mentioning nations such as Afghanistan, Haiti, and Somalia. His remarks were met with a shout from the audience, reminding him of the 2018 comment.

This prompted Trump to revisit the 2018 event, aligning his account with descriptions provided at the time by those familiar with the Oval Office meeting.

Recalling the conversation, Trump shared with rally attendees, “We had a meeting and I said, ‘Why is it we only take people from shithole countries?’ I suggested, ‘Why can’t we have some people from Norway, Sweden?’”

“But we always take people from Somalia,” he continued. “Places that are a disaster. Filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime.”

The White House at the time did not deny Trump’s remarks, but the president posted on Twitter the day after the news broke that “this was not the language I used.” He added that he “never said anything derogatory about Haitians.”

Back in 2018, Trump’s comments denigrating predominantly Black nations while seeking more migration from predominantly white countries were widely denounced as racist. Some congressional Republicans condemned the comments, and foreign leaders were outraged. Botswana’s government summoned the U.S. ambassador, and Senegal’s President Macky Sall said he was shocked, noting, “Africa and the Black race merit the respect and consideration of all.”

But since then, Trump has pushed past many norms and traditions of decorum that had guided his predecessors, both in his first term and in the years since. He often peppers his public remarks with curse words, and this year has dropped the F-bomb as cameras were rolling — on two separate occasions.

On Thanksgiving, in a pair of lengthy posts on social media complaining about immigrants, he demeaned Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, using a dated slur for intellectually disabled people. Asked by a reporter if he stood by a comment that many Americans find offensive, Trump was unrepentant. “Yeah. I think there’s something wrong with him,” he said.