U.S. Owed Trade, Trump Tells Nigerian

Trump noted that the U.S. sends more than $1 billion in foreign aid annually to Nigeria and said the U.S. should get something in return.

"We think that we are owed that," Trump said at a joint White House news conference with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, the first African leader to visit him at the White House.

Trump said the U.S. "will be investing substantially in Nigeria if they can create that level playing field." He noted that Buhari has taken steps to fight government corruption and improve the trade climate.

Trump and Buhari held talks earlier Monday.

Buhari said the U.S. and Nigerian delegations discussed security, trade, government and human rights, among other topics.

The Nigerian president's visit followed an uncomfortable start to the Trump administration's approach to the world's second-most-populous continent. Trump stirred anger in Nigeria last year after reports that he said during an Oval Office meeting that Nigerians wouldn't want to go home to their "huts" if they were permitted to visit the U.S.

Nigeria was among the African nations that summoned the U.S. ambassador to explain reports of comments by Trump that he wanted less immigration from "s***hole" countries in Africa and more from places like norway.

Trump denied using the vulgar term, but others who were present said he used that language.

Asked whether he and Buhari had discussed the remark, Trump said they had not, but he told Buhari: "You do have some countries that are in very bad shape and very tough places to live in. But we didn't discuss it because the president knows me and he knows where I'm coming from."

Buhari deflected, saying he was unsure about "whether that allegation against the president was true or not."

He said, "So the best thing for me is to keep quiet."

Trump also refused to apologize for his inflammatory rhetoric on immigration even if it impacts the legal future of his travel ban.

The president said at the news conference that he had nothing for which to apologize. He also said he did not believe it would make any difference. The latest iteration of his travel ban is currently being considered by the Supreme Court.