The President of the United States is not a racist, he just gets confused and "says things that are silly", his ex-wife has declared.
Ivana Trump made the hugely reassuring statement after 71-year-old Donald was widely reported to have called African nations "shithole countries".
The President faced demands to explain himself from several African countries as his comments were branded "racist" by the United Nations.
But Ivana, who married the billionaire in 1977 and is mother to Donald Jr, Eric and Ivanka, told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "I don't think Donald's racist at all.
"Sometimes he says these things which are silly or he doesn’t really mean them.
"But he's definitely not racist, I'm sure of that."
Asked why he makes such offensive comments Ivana shrugged: "Who knows!
"He has so many people telling him left and right what to say and what not to say and things like that, and sometimes maybe it can confuse him."
Ivana also described President Trump, who she split with in an acrimonious divorce in 1992, as a "stable genius" and "not that bad".
The President reportedly grew frustrated with officials over the idea of restoring protections for immigrants from countries such as Haiti and El Salvador, and some countries in Africa.
According to the Washington Post , Trump said: "Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?"
He then reportedly suggested that the US should instead bring more people from countries like Norway, whose prime minister he met with at the White House.
Trump insisted he was "not racist" but the White House was slow to deny the reports, and witnesses insisted he used the phrase.
UN human rights spokesman Robert Colville said: "If confirmed, these are shocking and shameful comments from the President of the United States. Sorry, but there is no other word one can use but racist.
"You cannot dismiss entire countries and continents as shitholes whose entire populations, who are not white, are therefore not welcome.
"The positive comment on Norway makes the underlying sentiment very clear.
"Like the earlier comments made vilifying Mexicans and Muslims, the policy proposals targetting entire groups on grounds of nationality or religion, and the reluctance to clearly condemn the anti-semitic and racist actions of the white supremacists in Charlottesville - all of these go against the universal values the world has been striving so hard to establish since World War II and the Holocaust.
"This is not just a story about vulgar language, it’s about opening the door wider to humanity’s worst side, about validating and encouraging racism and xenophobia that will potentially disrupt and destroy the lives of many people.
"That is perhaps the single most damaging and dangerous consequence of this type of comment by a major political figure."
Botswana summoned the US Ambassador to explain the alleged remarks.
And Jessie Duarte, the deputy secretary general of South Africa's ruling ANC, said: "Ours is not a shithole country, neither is Haiti or any other country in distress.
"It's not as if the United States doesn't have problems. There is unemployment in the US, there are people who don't have healthcare services."