President Trump Donald John TrumpOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Pelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Trump mocks Biden appearance, mask use ahead of first debate MORE is slated to meet with the leaders of several Caribbean countries later this week at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, the White House announced.

Trump will gather with the leaders of the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica and Saint Lucia on Friday to reaffirm the White House’s “strong friendship with and commitment to these countries, and signal the importance of the Caribbean to the hemisphere,” the White House said in a statement.

“The President will discuss his vision for our diverse relationships in the Caribbean and the potential opportunities for energy investment,” the White House added, noting that the leaders will also discuss Chinese economic practices in the region and the current Venezuelan leadership crisis.

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Trump sparked bipartisan backlash early last year after he reportedly referred to immigrants from Haiti and African nations as coming from “shithole countries.” He also reportedly suggested that the U.S. should welcome immigrants from countries like Norway.

“Never said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is, obviously, a very poor and troubled country. Never said ‘take them out.’ Made up by Dems," Trump tweeted in response to a report about his comments at the time. "I have a wonderful relationship with Haitians. Probably should record future meetings - unfortunately, no trust!”

Never said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is, obviously, a very poor and troubled country. Never said “take them out.” Made up by Dems. I have a wonderful relationship with Haitians. Probably should record future meetings - unfortunately, no trust! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018

Trump has previously held high-profile negotiations at his Florida resort since becoming president. He hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping to negotiate the trade relationship between Washington and Beijing and hosted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss commerce and defense interests in 2017.