Ex Swedish PM just rinsed Donald Trump’s intelligence

During a rally in Florida on Saturday, United States President Donald Trump used Sweden as an example of recent terrorist attacks, referencing an attack that hadn't occurred.

He told the crowd:

Here's the bottom line. We've got to keep our country safe. You look at what's happening. We've got to keep our country safe. 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're having problems like they never thought possible. You look at what's happening in Brussels. You look at what's happening all over the world. Take a look at Nice. Take a look at Paris. We've allowed thousands and thousands of people into our country and there was no way to vet those people. There was no documentation. There was no nothing. So we're going to keep our country safe.

He later clarified that he was referring to a Fox News report on immigration and crime in Sweden, which itself is at odds with the statistics and expert opinion.

A former Prime Minister of Sweden, Carl Bildt, has hit back at Donald Trump for making completely insubstantial claims, fuelled by improper sources for a man of his office.

That he blames it on Fox News, well, we expect the president of the United States to have sources of information that goes beyond Fox News.

He's also been vocal on Twitter:

Sweden has been long been a talking point of the far-right in terms of crime - specifically rape, due to sustained high levels of immigration.

For a good analysis on the topic, see Tom Chivers' piece on Malmö here.

HT The Hill, BuzzFeed

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