REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to a "Make America Great Again" rally at Orlando Melbourne International Airport in Melbourne, Florida, U.S. February 18, 2017.
"Give the public a break - The FAKE
Trump tweeted on Sunday that his original comments about "what's happening last night in Sweden" were sparked by a Fox News segment about immigrants in the European country.
Trump's original comments, made at a campaign-style rally in Melbourne, Florida, seemed to suggest a security incident involving immigrants had taken place in Sweden on Friday that was on par with terrorist attacks in Germany and France.
"You look at what's happening in Germany. You look at what's happening last night in Sweden. Sweden! Who would believe this? Sweden, they took in large numbers, they are having problems like they never thought possible," Trump said at the rally.
"You look at what's happening Brussels, you look at what's happening all over the world. Take a look at Nice, take a look at Paris," he continued.
The claim sent pundits and political observers scrambling to find evidence of any such incident in Sweden - and they came up empty.
The Fox News segment Trump was referring to was an interview between host Tucker Carlson and documentarian and media personality Ami Horowitz that aired Friday night. Horowitz presented a clip from a film documenting alleged violence committed by refugees in Sweden, and the segment extensively referenced an alleged crime surge in Sweden and its links to immigrants.
In fact, a 2016 crime survey found crime rates in Sweden have stayed relatively stable over the past decade.
Carl Bildt, the former prime minister of Sweden, has taken several shots at Trump on Twitter, including one Monday comparing Florida with Sweden:
Last year there were app 50% more murders only in Orlando/Orange in Florida, where Trump spoke the other day, than in all of Sweden. Bad.
- Carl Bildt (@carlbildt) February 20, 2017