Milwaukee ranks third in violent crime. The city was chosen to host the Republican convention next month. 

When former President Trump visited Capitol Hill on Thursday, he mentioned the crime rate and referred to it as "horrible" as he spoke about the city. Next thing you know, we have a kerfuffle going on. 

Leave it to a reporter to start the ball rolling. 

🚨TRUMP TO HOUSE REPUBLICANS:

"Milwaukee, where we are having our convention, is a horrible city."

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) June 13, 2024

Sherman is a co-founder of Punchbowl News, a newsletter that focuses on Congress. Someone must have leaked that quote to him because Trump's meetings on Capitol Hill Thursday were closed-door meetings. 

Republicans deny anything critical in Trump's remark. They say he was talking about the crime rate in the city where the GOP convention will be held. 

Democrats were busy having a hissy fit that Trump came to Capitol Hill. They were looking for distractions from reporting on President Biden's trip to the G7 meeting in Italy. Biden was his usual dazed and confused self. He caused some commotion when he randomly wandered off from the others as they watched a display of people parachute down into a field. Each held a flag of a G7 country. Biden had to be led back to the group by Italian Prime Minister Meloni. She graciously did so as the others looked perplexed. Then the others gathered around Biden as though to protect the old man. It was embarrassing.

The reporting on Trump's Milwaukee remarks looks like a deliberate smear. The media is fond of taking his quotes out of context. Maybe Mitt Romney was trying to stir up something. I kid. Kinda. The quote had to come from somewhere. 

Democrats pounced, so to speak. Morning Joe, a former friend of Trump and frequent guest at Mar-a-Lago, loved this. He is a bitter former Republican congressman who is long past relevance.

We pay homage this morning to Milwaukee, a city Trump calls 'horrible'. pic.twitter.com/3fS7mvG0dn

— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) June 14, 2024

Yes, the first thing I think of when I hear Milwaukee is Laverne and Shirley so that clip is clever. The main focus of Morning Joe is trashing Trump so cranking out a Milwaukee-friendly montage is on brand. 

Author Stephen King jumped in because he is full of Trump hatred 24/7. 

Milwaukee is actually quite a nice place. Trump thinks it’s horrible because HE’S horrible.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) June 14, 2024

You'd think a professional writer would be a little more creative, wouldn't you? That was just phoning it in. 

The DNC is putting up billboards in the city right away using the quote. 

Exclusive: The DNC is launching billboards in 10 spots across Milwaukee — the site of next month's Republican convention — featuring Trump's reported diss calling it a "horrible city." https://t.co/hhuoPMUZXh pic.twitter.com/WaaSrrwfjl

— Axios (@axios) June 14, 2024

It's almost like it's a coordinated effort. 

Fox show host Jesse Watters, a Trump supporter, called the quote a  “wrap-up smear.” "You smear your opponent with lies, the press writes about it, that validates it and then the politicians run with it."

NEW HOAX ALERT: The Democrats and the media are running with a brand new Trump hoax today: Trump said he doesn’t like Milwaukee. The only problem? None of them were in the room. The people actually with Trump debunked the hoax, but that doesn’t matter to them. It’s what they call… pic.twitter.com/M1Ub8rKS3B

— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) June 14, 2024

Sherman wasn't in the room. Some of those who were are denying the accuracy of the quote.

Steven Cheung, Trump's spokesperson, denied the report on X, formerly Twitter. He wrote: "Wrong. Total bull****. He never said it like how it's been falsely characterized. He was talking about how terrible crime and voter fraud are."

Speaking to Fox News' Hannity, Johnson, a Louisiana Republican and Trump ally who became the House speaker in October, said he didn't hear the comment—suggesting the former president didn't make the remark at all, which would contradict his earlier defense.

When asked about the reported incident by host Sean Hannity, Johnson said, "No, I didn't hear it, and I was sitting right next to him."

He added: "I introduced him this morning at breakfast where he started the day. He spoke for an hour without notes, Sean. He can stand up there and hold court as long as he wants, as you know. President Trump is on his A game, and I'm telling you, in the room this morning there was energy, enthusiasm, excitement."

Regarding Johnson's comments, Cheung told Newsweek: "No contradiction. He never said Milwaukee is a terrible city. That's fact."

Wisconsin Representative Bryan Steil also said the remark was about crime. "I was in the room. President Trump did not say this. There is no better place than Wisconsin in July."

Politicians and reporters being politicians and reporters. Shocker. 

No one is disputing the high crime rate in Milwaukee. The RNC is concerned about protesters during the convention. It is making arrangements with the Secret Service to make a park near the convention site off-limits to protesters. The RNC claims a deal has been made on a "First Amendment Zone" but the Secret Service said no deal has been made yet.

“We applaud Secret Service leadership for including Pere Marquette Park in the security perimeter,” said Danielle Alvarez, a senior adviser to the campaign of former President Donald J. Trump. She said party leaders “implore local officials to expedite the permit application” and “choose a different location for the First Amendment Zone.”

Todd R. Steggerda, a lawyer for the Republican National Committee, last month raised the specter of “an increased and untenable risk of violence” when he demanded that the Secret Service’s director, Kimberly A. Cheatle, personally intervene to move the so-called First Amendment Zone.

The Secret Service’s statement said the matter wasn’t resolved.

“As of right now, the security plan for the 2024 Republican National Convention, which includes the security perimeter, is still in development,” said Alexandria Worley, a spokeswoman for the service. “The U.S. Secret Service does not determine demonstration zones for National Special Security Events — those decisions are made by the host city.”

Republicans declared victory in their fight to wall off a park next to the convention from protesters and push them out of sight and earshot of convention goers. The Secret Service denies it, but in the war of words, the GOP has claimed the upper hand. https://t.co/gk2Sj1Adhe

— Jonathan Weisman (@jonathanweisman) June 13, 2024

There is a month to get it all worked out. 

I'll just leave this here. The Democrat Mayor of Milwaukee didn't appreciate the Trump quote. That was the purpose of reporting the quote - to create division where there is none. The mayor welcomed the GOP convention to his city when the choice of the host city was announced.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson responding to Trump reportedly calling Milwaukee "a horrible city" weeks before the start of the Republican National Convention in MKE: "All of us lived through his presidency, so right back at ya, buddy." pic.twitter.com/9iQfGlK0jp

— Matt Smith (@mattsmith_news) June 13, 2024