State of the Union address: Congressional Black Caucus stage silent protest over Donald Trump's infamous 's***hole' comments

Members of the political group wore African patterns to the US President's first State of the Union speech

'S***hole' storm: Members of Congressional Black Caucus wear black clothing and Kente cloth in protest ahead of a State of the Union address in the chamber of the US House of Representatives

AFP/Getty Images

Sean Morrison @seanmorrison_31 January 2018

Black lawmakers staged a silent protest against Donald Trump’s infamous “s***hole” comments by wearing African patterns to the US leader’s first State of the Union speech.

Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) members wore brightly coloured Kente cloth and a variety of African patterns during the address as the row of Mr Trump’s alleged comments continued.

It came after the President reportedly called nations in Africa “sh**holes” during a private meeting about immigration legislation with lawmakers. Mr Trump said the language he used was “tough”, but denied using the words reported.

The group’s protest in the House of Representatives came as Mr Trump delivered his first state of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday night.

A cluster of about two dozen Democrats, including CBC members, withheld applause As Mr Trump entered the chamber and offered muted reactions throughout the speech.

During the address, the US president offered an “open hand” to work with the Democrats and leave their differences aside before launching into a series of controversial plans.

More than 40 million television viewers reportedly tuned in to watch the State of the Union speech from Capitol Hill, which lasted for around an hour and 20 minutes.

Additional reporting from AP.