Ann Coulter says US should refuse entry to people with HIV
Ann Coulter has said that people with HIV should not be allowed to travel to the US.
The political commentator, a hero of the far-right and white nationalist movements in the US, made the claim in an interview on Good Morning Britain.
Appearing on GMB, Coulter defended President Donald Trump referring to African countries as “shitholes” and claiming that Haitians should be rejected because they “all have AIDS”.
Ann Coulter (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Presenter Kate Garraway said: “He specifically insulted these countries, in a sweeping generalisation, and picked out that he’d like to have more people from countries like Norway.
“He must know how those comments are going to be recieved. Some people are not just questioning the intention of his comments or the colourful language, but some of the facts.
“For instance, he’s been accused of making an offhand comment about ‘all Haitians have AIDS’.
“Now actually, that’s not true. It’s a much much smaller percentage of people. It’s language he knows will insult and it’s not even factually correct.”
Ann Coulter (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
But Coulter insisted that “people with AIDS” should not be allowed into the US because it’s a “communicable disease”.
Coulter said: “It’s not as if he called a press conference to announce, I want you to know America, these countries are S-holes. These are leaks from a private meeting, just like the AIDS comment – and by the way, Haiti does have an extremely high rate of AIDS.
“On the AIDS point, I don’t think it is factually incorrect… of course he didn’t say ‘all’, but it’s astronomical and they’re very close to us.
“We have an immigration policy that won’t discriminate on the basis of AIDS. It’s a communicable disease! That’s one of the things we’ve got to be taking into account.”
Ann Coulter (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
If people living with HIV are taking medication and have an undetectable viral load, it is impossible for them to infect others.
Trump has made ignorant and offensive comments about HIV/AIDS in the past.
In a radio interview months after the deaths of influential AIDS activist Princess Diana, Trump joked about “nailing” her – but only after forcing her to take an HIV test.
Ann Coultler (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)
The interview with Howard Stern took place in November 1997, just 65 days after the Princess had died in a tragic car crash.
Stern asked Trump: “Why do people think it’s egotistical of you to say you could’ve gotten with Lady Di? “You could’ve gotten her, right? You could’ve nailed her.”
Without hesitation, Trump responded: “I think I could have.”
Stern then asked Trump if he would take Diana to the doctor.
Speaking as if he were with the late Princess, Trump said: “Come back over to my Lexington Avenue doctor.
“We wanna give you a little checkup.”
In another interview with Stern in 2000, Trump re-emphasised that he would sleep with Diana, saying he would do it “without even hesitation”.
He also said: “She was crazy, but you know these are minor details.”
Unsprurisingly, Trump has been criticised for his policies on HIV/AIDS in the past.
The Republican politician, who has been harshly criticised over his handling of HIV/AIDS issues, last month decided to dismiss the entirety of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.
All members of the council were informed of their dismissal by a letter sent via courier.
Six people had already resigned from the Council en masse in June, saying that Trump and his administration “do not care” about the cause.
The move came after the quiet closure of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, which was shuttered as part of the Presidential transition and never re-opened as Trump failed to appoint a new director.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders evaded a question on the issue during the White House’s daily press conference last week.
Chris Johnson, White House Reporter for the Washington Blade, had asked: “Over the holidays, the President terminated the tenure of the members of the President’s advisory council on HIV/AIDS. Does the President want to see those positions re-filled in his administration?”
Ms Sanders did not provide any assurances or explanation.
She said: “We’re looking at the different options and we’ll keep you posted if we have an announcement on that front.”
