GENEVA (REUTERS) - The United Nations human rights office on Friday (Jan 12) rejected as "racist" reported remarks by United States President Donald Trump describing immigrants from Africa and Haiti as coming from "s***hole" countries.

Trump on Thursday questioned why the US would want to have immigrants from Haiti and African nations, referring to some as "s***hole countries," according to two sources familiar with the comments.

"There is no other word one can use but 'racist'," UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville told a Geneva news briefing when asked about the comments.

"You cannot dismiss entire countries and continents as 's***holes', whose entire populations, who are not white, are therefore not welcome."