Trump once asked a room full of black leaders if they knew Ben Carson -- and was surprised when they said no: report

In a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus last March, Donald Trump asked the gathering if they knew Ben Carson—and was surprised when they said no, NBC News reports.

Trump also seemed confused when a member explained her constituents—“not all of whom are black”—would be negatively impacted by welfare cuts.

“Really?” Trump asked, according to two attendees. “Then what are they?”

News of Trump’s comments from that March meeting come amid furor over his reported claim about immigrants coming to the United States from “sh*thole” countries. Trump reportedly made that remark while discussing people from Haiti, African countries and El Salvador.

The president on Friday insisted he did not use a derogatory term, and insisted his reported demand to remove Haitians from the United States was “made up” by the Democrats. Multiple people present at the meeting, including Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) say Trump did, in fact, make those comments.