President Trump decided this morning to take a very odd step of sounding off about the domestic politics of a major ally, Germany. His core factual assertion that “crime in Germany is way up” is the opposite of true.

The people of Germany are turning against their leadership as migration is rocking the already tenuous Berlin coalition. Crime in Germany is way up. Big mistake made all over Europe in allowing millions of people in who have so strongly and violently changed their culture! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2018

On the contrary, in May, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer — who is actually the leader of the immigration-skeptical forces inside Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet — released new data indicating that Germany’s crime rate had fallen to its lowest level since 1992.

Immigration is a difficult issue for the so-called “grand coalition” between the main German center-right and center-left parties Merkel oversees. This is because Merkel’s policies are unpopular with the right wing of her own party, and especially with its Bavarian affiliate that, for various historical reasons, has a good measure of institutional autonomy. But it’s just not true that crime is up.