Dozens of former US ambassadors to African countries have written to President Donald Trump expressing "deep concern" over his comments about the continent and warning that respectful engagement is crucial to protecting American interests.

The White House has not denied that Trump said "shithole" though Trump has already pushed back on some depictions of the meeting.

Trump, who also called him "Dicky Durbin" in the tweet, said: "Deals can't get made when there is no trust! Durbin blew DACA and is hurting our Military" Durbin went public on Friday saying that Trump used the word sh*thole when talking about African nations. He was in the meeting with the president regarding a bipartisan compromise on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The president has denied using that language, but others present insist he did.

"I don't think he was well served by his staff", Graham said Tuesday, referring to the change in tone from a 10 a.m. phone call Thursday that he and Durbin had with the president hours before the "shithole" comment.

"I don't know if there will be a shutdown, there shouldn't be", he said.

Durbin has said the White House should release whatever recording it might have of the meeting.

Purdue and another Republican participant, Senator Tom Cotton, had said previously they did not specifically recall Trump making the comments attributed to him.

"I would like to say on behalf of our embassy, my government, the American people, we have tremendous respect for Zimbabwe, for the African continent, its people, its culture, its traditions", he said, addressing Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa and attendees of a ceremony honoring a health grant in Harare.

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Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of SC, one of the six senators in the meeting with Trump on Thursday, supported Durbin's account.

Durbin and people who were briefed on the conversation but were not authorized to describe it publicly said Trump also questioned the need to admit more Haitians.

Trump said in the meeting that he would prefer immigrants from countries like Norway instead.

A confidant of Trump's told The Associated Press that the president spent Thursday evening calling friends and outside advisers to judge their reaction to his remarks.

Monday, Durbin said he was "stunned" that this was Cotton and Perdue's defense.

Trump made that declaration in the wake of his recent comments about Haiti and African countries. "They took responsibility, they made a mistake". "We're asking you to apologize to the Haitians". Trump wrote, "I have a wonderful relationship with Haitians. Why don't we get more people from Norway?'" Durbin said.

Democrats have condemned Trump's remarks as "racist", a charge Sanders rejected as "outrageous".