“How Embarrassing”: Trump Clarifies Sweden Reference, Admits He Was Parroting Fox News
“Notice there’s no apology here or acknowledgement that what he said was false”
My statement as to what’s happening in Sweden was in reference to a story that was broadcast on @FoxNews concerning immigrants & Sweden.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 19, 2017
In from the golf course, President Donald Trump took to Twitter late Sunday to clarify his apparent reference to a nonexistent terror attack in Sweden during a campaign rally on Saturday.Â
“My statement as to what’s happening in Sweden was in reference to a story that was broadcast on @FoxNews concerning immigrants & Sweden,” Trump wrote.Â
As many already suspected, it turns out Trump was referencing this story, about a documentary filmmaker who’s attempting to link the large number of refugees taken in by Sweden to an increase in crime.Â
Here’s how Twitter reacted. Â
But drugs crime and theft are down, there’s been no terrorist attacks. Fraud is up slightly. Why are they insisting on slagging off Sweden? https://t.co/dxcuoZGGIs
— Patricia Zengerle (@ReutersZengerle) February 19, 2017
Best defense is that he was just mindlessly parroting the last bullshit he saw on Fox https://t.co/PXenr2gwaL
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) February 19, 2017
Doesn’t make it true. https://t.co/Vp2Pb4pLwc
— Lucas Grindley (@lucasgrindley) February 19, 2017
In other words, you couldn’t tell the difference between a Fox News segment and real-time events. Hope you don’t watch “Independence Day.” https://t.co/OEiGxqWYqX
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) February 19, 2017
Russia connections:
-Don’t believe fake news
WH chaos:
-Don’t believe fake news
“What happened last night in Sweden”
-I saw it on the news https://t.co/I2vTL4q0Im— James Poniewozik (@poniewozik) February 19, 2017
How embarrassing. You’re hopelessly confused. Sad! @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/2mRZAjuj6f
— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) February 19, 2017
Notice there’s no apology here or acknowledgement that what he said was false. https://t.co/j6Ftz7gxZi
— Simon Owens (@simonowens) February 19, 2017
The real issue is his recklessness. Falsely implying that refugees are committing attacks in Sweden could get people hurt here in America.
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) February 19, 2017
WH can walk this back but he clearly wove Sweden into long list of locations of notable terror attacks.
“Who would believe this?! Sweden!” https://t.co/oHDnRXnczx— Steve Kopack (@SteveKopack) February 19, 2017
To be clear, that segment was inciting racial and religious hatred. It also dismissed crime stats and polls in Sweden. Without any basis. https://t.co/7eQYOC2JRD
— Richard Wolffe (@richardwolffedc) February 19, 2017
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