Trump Tries To Explain Sweden Remark Amid Confusion
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They took in large numbers. They're having problems like they never thought possible.</s>CHRIS CUOMO, CNN HOST: Is that true? A question many are asking following President Trump's suggestion that a non-existent attack may have occurred in the Scandinavian country. The president now says he was referencing something that he saw on T.V., a "FOX NEWS" segment about an alleged migrant-related problem with crime in Sweden. Let's get the facts. We've got Azita Raji, the former U.S. ambassador to Sweden. You are in San Francisco. It is early there. Thank you for getting up, but I know that that is a demonstration of the importance that you feel this question surrounds. So, let's talk fact. Refugees came in. Sweden's been letting in more migrants per capita than just about anybody in the world and, as a result, their crime rate has skyrocketed. Is that true?</s>AZITA RAJI, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SWEDEN: It's partly true. The crime rate has not skyrocketed and Sweden has taken a large number of refugees, as you pointed out. However, it's also important to point out that Sweden has been, historically, a very diverse country very much like our own and it's -- these population -- this population has been very well integrated and has led to the high-ranking and innovation that both the Sweden -- Sweden and the United States have. So, when you look at the link between crime and immigration it has been disputed many times. There is no link, in fact. There was a study that just came out by -- from the University of Buffalo that showed data from census data and crime reports. In 40 -- over 40 years from 200 cities that, in fact, showed absolutely no link between immigration patterns and crime. So, I think that when we talk about these immigration patterns we need to use the facts that are available. There's absolutely no data to support that.</s>CUOMO: Well, it is a fact that Sweden has as many or more rape reports than any country, let alone in Scandinavia or even in greater Europe, so how do you account for that?</s>RAJI: Well, I'm going to let the Swedes and the Swedish government speak to that, but my understanding is that, as you pointed out, there are rape reports. That is because people are encouraged to come forward to file if there is an incident. But again, that has nothing to do with immigrants. I'm not saying that immigrants don't commit crimes. Some do and some don't, but there is absolutely no correlation. In fact, the study that just came out showed that in communities that have a higher rate of immigration -- migrants -- that actually some crimes are at a lower -- reported at a lower rate. That take place at a lower rate, rather.</s>CUOMO: And there is a factual corollary that the victims of these allegations also wind up being within the same class of migrants or refugees, meaning that the crimes they commit, they usually commit against their own. That's not unusual for any population. But, we still wind up in the same situation. You were the U.S. ambassador to Sweden. In the U.S. there is fear. We don't want the problems here that we see everywhere else in the world and that's why the president's suggestion, while maybe counterfactual or also known as wrong, does stoke the fear here. And people say I don't care if it's just one case, Azita, I don't want it here. What do you say to them?</s>RAJI: Chris, you're absolutely right and fear is the keyword. We don't want to have policies that are based on fear. There's absolutely no evidence that supports that -- what you just stated. And we want to have evidence-based policies that are based on claims that are -- that are substantiated. And you know, I'll give you one example. Over the last three years, Sweden has taken about 200,000 people. This is in a country with a population of 10 million. If, proportionately, we took the same number of people in this country that's about six or eight million people. Based on that we should be reporting terrorist attacks in Sweden every week. You see no such thing. Sweden is one of the most safe and prosperous countries. They are ranking -- last year they were the second most innovative country in the world. Actually, we were number three -- or number four, according to a global innovation index. And there's just -- if we want -- crime happens because there is a lack of opportunity. This country is based on immigrants, it's based on opportunity. And when you have communities where there's no education, a lack of opportunity, a lack of access to the labor market, then maybe the rational choice might be for some people to resort to crime. But I'm not -- I don't think that there's a correlation between that and immigrants.</s>CUOMO: The --</s>RAJI: It's not substantiated anywhere.</s>CUOMO: The person who decides to dig into this a little bit will learn that Sweden did have to change its policy of how many it absorbs and there is an implication there that they were getting overwhelmed there. That the needs of the community and the social services and the safety concerns made them change their policy and take less. What do you say about that?</s>RAJI: Well, to be sure, when you take such a large number of people at a very -- in a short period of time that presents a great deal of challenges and -- challenges in terms of where to house them, how to educate the children, and so forth, and how to absorb and integrate that population. That is not to say that that is linked to a concern to crime. And I would also further say that that is a long -- that is a short- term challenge for any country, in this case for Sweden, but a long- term economic opportunity and it should be seen that way. These are people that have, in many cases, higher education degrees. They have talents. They have different stories -- innovative ways of looking at solutions -- at problems. And immigrants have to have a great deal of hope and courage and ambition to leave their countries to go to another country to be willing to start all over again. Those are the attributes of successful entrepreneurs and we have seen that in our own country where entrepreneurs are proportionately -- create businesses at a higher rate than our own citizens.</s>CUOMO: All right. Azita Raji, I wanted to talk to you about what is right now because there's really no reason to believe that there's any true diplomatic strain over this. If that changes I'll bring you back on and we'll discuss what could be as a result of all this, but thanks for helping us clarify it.</s>RAJI: Thank you very much, Chris.</s>CUOMO: Brooke --</s>BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: All right. So, how do you President Trump's supporters think he's doing? We're on day 32 now into the Trump administration. He went back on the campaign trail to get the base fired up again first, on Friday, then over the weekend in Florida. Is there anything he can do to shake their trust? That's next.