Trump allies scramble to explain after he calls Republican National Convention host Milwaukee a 'horrible' city

• In a meeting with House Republicans, former President Donald Trump called Milwaukee — the host of the 2024 Republican National Convention — a "horrible" city and said it is overrun by crime.
• The Trump campaign denied that he called the city "horrible," writing in a press release that the reports are a "total lie."
• Democrats including President Joe Biden were quick to capitalize on Trump's remarks about the largest city in Wisconsin, a key battleground state which Biden narrowly won in 2020.

In a meeting with House Republicans on Thursday, former President Donald Trump called Milwaukee — the host of the 2024 Republican National Convention — a "horrible" city and said it is overrun by crime.

The comments, which were first reported by Punchbowl's Jake Sherman and confirmed by NBC News, drew criticism from Democrats, while Trump's allies scrambled to defend his remarks.

The Trump campaign denied that he called the city "horrible," writing in a press release that the reports are a "total lie." Yet, the campaign still seemed to imply that Trump spoke disparagingly of the city.

"President Trump was explicitly referring to the problems in Milwaukee, specifically violent crime and voter fraud," the campaign said in its statement.

Several Republican lawmakers also denied he made the comments in the meeting, held at the Capitol Hill Club. The event came just weeks ahead of the Republican convention in Milwaukee, where the party is set to officially nominate Trump as its presidential candidate.

Republican Rep. Bryan Steil, of Wisconsin, replied to a post on X that reported Trump's comment that Milwaukee is a "horrible" city.

"I was in the room. President Trump did not say this," Steil said. "There is no better place than Wisconsin