Rapper Jay-Z said Saturday that President Donald Trump's reference to Haiti, El Salvador and African nations as "s***hole countries" was "disappointing" and "hurtful."
"It is disappointing and it’s hurtful," the Grammy Award-winning rapper told CNN's Van Jones. "It really is hurtful.
"Everyone feels anger — but after the anger, it’s real hurtful."
President Trump came under heavy fire for reportedly making the vulgar remark in a closed-door bipartisan meeting on immigration at the White House on Jan. 11.
Trump later denied using the term, saying on Twitter that his language was "tough."
Jay-Z, 48, whose name is Shawn Carter, has long supported Democratic President Barack Obama.
He said Trump's comments were especially damaging because they came from "the leader of the free world."
"It’s looking down at a whole population of people," he told Jones. "It's so misinformed, because these places have beautiful people and beautiful everything.
"This is the leader of the free world speaking like this," he said.
Jay-Z added that President Trump's negative comments most likely emanated from "somewhere along his lineage" when "something happened to him."
"Something happened to him and he is expressing it in this sort of way."
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