The Haiti-born mayor of Plano said he was personally offended by the remarks President Donald Trump made during an Oval Office meeting this week when he reportedly used a vulgarity to refer to Haiti, El Salvador and African nations.

Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere (Gittings Photography / Courtesy Harry LaRosiliere)

Harry LaRosiliere, who has served as Plano's mayor since 2013, called Trump's comments "offensive on a personal level" in a prepared statement released Saturday.

LaRosiliere said his parents moved to the U.S. from Haiti when he was 3 years old.

"My mother worked for 30 years, a third of those years cleaning offices, not far from Trump Tower, so my sister and I could have an education and be the first college graduates of our family.

"And here I am, the mayor of a premier city in America. And someone like my mother is not the 'worst of the worst.' We need more people like her in America because that is what makes our fabric as a great nation," LaRosiliere said in the statement.

He told The Dallas Morning News that he was encouraged to speak out against the president's remarks after remembering the Martin Luther King Jr. quote, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter."

"Our president has said offensive things over the past year," LaRosiliere said. "This one was personal, obviously, and I didn’t want to stay silent on it anymore."

Trump's divisive comments, while damaging, help LaRosiliere in emphasizing the fact that Plano is an enclave of diversity, he said.

"If you look at the high schools in Plano, 60 percent are non-Caucasian. My message to my citizens is that we are a globally diverse, inclusive city that welcomes all."

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings later weighed in on Twitter to express his support for LaRosiliere.

"We are fortunate his parents came to the United States from Haiti. Back then, we didn't have a president who espoused venomous thoughts like we do now," Rawlings said.

I commend my friend @PlanoMayorHarry for his service and sentiments. We are fortunate his parents came to the United States from Haiti. Back then, we didn’t have a president who espoused venomous thoughts like we do now. https://t.co/PH21yU1H7C — Mike Rawlings (@Mike_Rawlings) January 13, 2018

The setting in which Trump reportedly made the derogatory comments was a private meeting regarding an immigration deal that would include protections for people from Haiti and some African nations.

"Why do we need more Haitians?" he said, according to the The Washington Post. "Take them out."

He then suggested that the U.S. should instead take in more people from countries like Norway.

On Friday, Trump tweeted that he used "tough" language in the meeting, but denied ever making negative comments.

The language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough, but this was not the language used. What was really tough was the outlandish proposal made - a big setback for DACA! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2018

"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," he said.

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

Some condemning the comments say they exposed the president as a racist.

"President Trump said things that were hate-filled, vile and racist," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who was at the meeting and confirmed the president's comments.

But supporters, including Trump evangelical adviser Robert Jeffress, stand by the president's message.

Jeffress, the outspoken pastor of First Baptist Dallas, on Friday defended the president's comments, saying that Trump was "right on target" when he questioned why America should take in more immigrants from Africa and Haiti.

"Apart from the vocabulary attributed to him, President Trump is right on target in his sentiment," Jeffress told the Christian Broadcasting Network.