During his February 28 speech to a Joint Session of Congress, President Trump denounced violence, saying: “In Chicago, more than 4,000 people were shot last year alone.”
Singer and actress Bette Midler tried to counter Trump’s statement by tweeting a link to Chicago Tribune story which showed that nearly 800 people were murdered in Chicago.
In other words, Trump was talking about the overall number of shooting victims — fatal and non-fatal combined — when he said “more than 4,000.” But in her eagerness to make it look like Trump was exaggerating, Midler tweeted that just under 800 people were murdered. She was blissfully unaware that she was comparing apples to oranges, and the sad part is that if she had listened to Trump’s whole statement she would have noticed he addressed the raging homicide problem separately.
Trump’s full statement: “In Chicago, more than 4,000 people were shot last year alone — and the murder rate so far this year has been even higher.”
by Awr Hawkins