The New York Times reported today that  United States’ President Donald Trump described Nigerians as people living in huts and that they would not want to return to them, if allowed to visit America.

But White House has denied it as another fake news from the respected newspaper.

NYT  published accounts of some administration officials who were present at a meeting about the administration’s immigration policy in June.

According to the New York Times, Mr Trump fumed to his national security team at the meeting that the number of immigrants arriving was undermining his campaign pledge to erect strong borders.

He was then said to have read out a list of how many immigrants from different countries had received visas so far in 2017.

According to the New York Times he said 15,000 had come from Haiti before adding that they “all have AIDS”.

He then reportedly said 40,000 had come from Nigeria and would never “go back to their huts” once they had seen America. The New York Times said the comments had been reported by two unnamed officials.

Mr. Trump had pushed controversial immigration policies since becoming American president in January.

Amongst his first policies was to ban visits from some selected Muslim nations .

Although some administration officials acknowledged that the meeting took place, they denied that the president used “AIDS” and “huts” at the meeting.

According to the Telegraph of London, the  White House denied to the New York Times that Mr Trump used the words “AIDS” or “huts” in reference to immigrants, calling the suggestions “lies based on anonymous sources”.

Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, said John Kelly, the White House chief of staff, H.R. McMaster, the national security adviser, and Rex Tillerson, the US Secretary of State, were all in the meeting and denied Mr Trump used the reported words.

She said: “General Kelly, General McMaster, Secretary Tillerson, and all other senior staff actually in the meeting deny these outrageous claims.

“And it’s both sad and telling the New York Times would print the lies of their anonymous ‘sources’ anyway” Sanders said

NAN