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House Speaker Paul Ryan said Friday that President Trump's "shithole countries" comment on Thursday was "very unfortunate" and "unhelpful." He said he believes immigration is "a thing to celebrate."

Go deeper: How Congress responded to Trump.

Paul Ryan criticizes Trump's "shithole" comments

He said immigration is "a big part of our strength."

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Paul Ryan

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<p>House Speaker Paul Ryan said Friday that President Trump&#x27;s &quot;shithole countries&quot; comment on Thursday was &quot;very unfortunate&quot; and &quot;unhelpful.&quot; He said he believes immigration is &quot;a thing to celebrate.&quot;</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/davidmackau/status/951870596043898882"></a></blockquote><div style="display:none"></div></div><p><strong>Go deeper: </strong><em><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="How Congress responded to Trump." data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/reactions-to-president-trumps-1515714772-ef475942-d3c8-4709-af37-ba49d79ec1bc.html" data-vars-content-id="91c0eefb-1548-4254-9a4a-e8c921ae455f" data-vars-headline="Paul Ryan criticizes Trump&#x27;s &quot;shithole&quot; comments" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/reactions-to-president-trumps-1515714772-ef475942-d3c8-4709-af37-ba49d79ec1bc.html" target="_self">How Congress responded to Trump.</a></em></p><span data-ad-status="NO_AD_LENGTH" data-ad-type="midStoryAd"></span>

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.