'New Hampshire Is A Drug-Infested Den,' Trump Reportedly Told Mexican President
WASHINGTON (CBS) – President Donald Trump called New Hampshire 'a drug-infested den" during a conversation with the Mexican president, according to transcripts published Thursday by the Washington Post.
The Post said it obtained transcripts from the president's conversations with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. The White House prepared but did not release transcripts of the talks that happened a few days after Trump's inauguration, according to The Post.
Trump made the comments about New Hampshire on a Jan. 27 call with President Peña Nieto. New Hampshire came up as Trump talked about "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 – is coming from the southern border," Trump said, according to the transcript. "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 scored an important win in the Republican primary in New Hampshire. He narrowly lost the state to Hillary Clinton in the general election.
New Hampshire has been hit hard by the opioid crisis – the state's health department says more than 400 people died in 2015 as a result of a drug overdose. But the state's Republican governor is not happy with Trump's remarks.
"The President is wrong," Gov. Chris Sununu said in a statement. "It's disappointing his mischaracterization of this epidemic ignores the great things this state has to offer.
Both Democratic senators from the Granite State are also blasting the president's reported comments.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said Trump owes the state an apology.
.@RealDonaldTrump owes NH an apology & then should follow through on his promise to Granite Staters to help end this crisis 1/2
— Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (@SenatorShaheen) August 3, 2017
It's absolutely unacceptable for the President to be talking about NH in this way – a gross misrepresentation of NH & the epidemic 2/2
— Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (@SenatorShaheen) August 3, 2017
"It's absolutely unacceptable for the President to be talking about NH in this way – a gross misrepresentation of NH & the epidemic," she tweeted.
Sen. Maggie Hassan called Trump's words "disgusting" and urged him to "work across party lines to actually stem the tide of this crisis."
.@realDonaldTrump's comments about New Hampshire are disgusting. As he knows, NH and states across America have a substance misuse crisis 1/
— Sen. Maggie Hassan (@SenatorHassan) August 3, 2017
Instead of insulting people in the throes of addiction, @POTUS needs to work across party lines to actually stem the tide of this crisis 3/3
— Sen. Maggie Hassan (@SenatorHassan) August 3, 2017
Read the full transcripts published by The Post here.