State Department Asked to Explain Trump's Sweden Comment

Request comes from Swedish embassy in Washington
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 19, 2017 1:54 PM CST
Sweden Wants State Department to Explain What Trump Meant
President Donald Trump and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump after getting off Air Force One during a campaign rally Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017, in Melbourne, Fla.   (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

The head-scratching over President Trump's reference on Saturday to a Friday night incident in Sweden is moving up the chain. Reuters reports the Swedish embassy in Washington has asked the State Department to explain what Trump meant when he said, "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."

The AP reports that Sweden last recorded a terror-related incident in December 2010, when an Iraqi-born Swede set off two explosive devices in Stockholm; the perpetrator was the only one to die. As for what Trump was referencing at his Florida rally on Friday, "We are trying to get clarity," Swedish foreign ministry rep Catarina Axelsson tells Reuters. Here are some theories about what may have been at the root of Trump's comment. (More President Trump stories.)

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