E3 Organizer Rips Trump For His Reported “Sh*thole Countries” Comment

The Entertainment Software Association, the group that organizes E3 every year and represents the video game industry’s interests in Washington, has come out with a statement ripping President Trump’s recent and controversial “sh*thole countries” comment. In a statement to Polygon, the ESA condemned Trump’s comments, saying they run counter to the values of America.

“America’s greatness is built on our diversity,” the ESA said. “The president’s repulsive comments undermine the fundamental values of who we are as a country. There is no place in our society for this type of backward thinking, and we condemn it in the strongest terms.”

According to Illinois senator Dick Durbin, Trump said in a recent meeting discussing visas, “Why are we having all these people from sh*thole countries come here?” He reportedly added: “We should bring in more people from places like Norway.”

Trump denied using the term “sh*thole,” but Durbin said the president not only used that word but claimed that he said it multiple times. Speaking today in Florida, Trump declared, “I am not a racist,” according to the Associated Press.

The ESA is one of the video game industry’s biggest and most important groups in the United States. Its members include some of the biggest and best known in gaming, including Activision, Bethesda, Electronic Arts, Take-Two, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros.

This is not the first time the ESA has responded to something Trump has done. In September last year, the ESA applauded Trump’s big new plans to bolster science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs across the country.

Trump is of course a controversial president, and the ESA does not agree with everything he says and does, as evidenced by the new statement about his recent comments. Back at E3 last year, ESA president Michael Gallagher said Trump’s eagerness to make tonally-off comments and when he does anything to impact the trust people might have for the highest office in the country, that can be bad for gaming too.

“Now we have a new administration in Washington that has brought some challenges. Everybody here is aware of them,” Gallagher said at the time. “You’re following them or feeling them. Gamers are feeling it both ways. Almost everyone in this country is a gamer, and almost 80 percent of gamers voted in the last election. Our job is to deliver the outputs and policy that extend and protect the frontiers of this industry.”

In addition to applauding Trump’s new STEM plans, Gallagher said the ESA supports Trump’s efforts in the area of tax cuts and repatriation.

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