What did Donald Trump do today?

He made up a story about mass rapes.

Trump went to West Virginia today to promote his tax agenda, and made a show of throwing away his prepared remarks to speak off-the-cuff to the audience. One of the false claims he made had to do with the caravan of migrants making its way through Mexico. Recalling his first day on the campaign, where accused Mexico of sending "rapists" into the United States, he said. "Remember my opening remarks at Trump Tower when I opened. Everybody said, oh, he was so tough. I used the word rape. Yesterday it came out where this journey coming up, women are raped at levels that nobody has ever seen before."

Migrants who travel through Mexico to enter the United States face many dangers, including rape--which is why they sometimes travel in groups like this, for mutual defense. Many of them are migrating in order to escape the threat of rape or other forms of violence in their home countries.

Trump had no actual information about rapes committed against the members of this caravan. Reporters traveling with it, however, report that no rapes have been reported.

Trump himself has been accused of rape by his ex-wife Ivana Trump in a 1989 deposition, and of attempted rape by Jill Harth, who sued him in 1997.

So what?

• Lying about rape for political gain is pretty awful.

• Accused rapists who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

• Trump isn't the first person to throw fake rape accusations at communities of people he doesn't like.