Trump attacks Cummings and his Baltimore district
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Saturday vented on Twitter about a political adversary, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., and assailed the city of Baltimore.
“Rep. Elijah Cummings has been a brutal bully, shouting and screaming at the great men & women of Border Patrol at the Southern Border, when actually his Baltimore district is FAR WORSE and more dangerous,” Trump wrote.
Trump continued by saying conditions on the border were “clean, efficient & well run, just very crowded,” whereas Cummings’ district was “a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.” Trump did not present evidence for this claim about the district.
Cummings, who has been a prominent Trump critic, represents part of Baltimore and its suburbs. According to census data, Cummings’ district, the 7th District of Maryland, is 53% black and has an average household income of $60,929.
Trump said the district was the “worst run and most dangerous” in the U.S. and called for an investigation into the “corrupt mess” in the district.
Cummings responded later Saturday morning on Twitter, writing “it is my moral duty to fight for my constituents” and asking Trump to act on prescription drug prices.
“Mr. President, I go home to my district daily. Each morning, I wake up, and I go and fight for my neighbors,” Cummings said. “It is my constitutional duty to conduct oversight of the Executive Branch. But, it is my moral duty to fight for my constituents.”
He continued, “Two years ago, I went to the White House to ask you to endorse my bill to let the government negotiate directly for lower drug prices. You told me then that you supported the legislation and that you would work with me to make it happen. I took you at your word.”
Baltimore Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young called Trump “a disappointment to the people of Baltimore, our country, and to the world.”
Earlier Saturday morning, “Fox and Friends” aired a segment on Cummings’ “dangerous district” in which Republican strategist Kimberly Klacik discussed allegedly downtrodden conditions in West Baltimore. Klacik said Trump saw her segment before tweeting.
“The President saw my work. This just made my day,” Klacik wrote.
As chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Cummings has taken on a prominent role in criticizing Trump administration policies. On July 18, Cummings’ committee held a hearing about the federal government’s treatment of migrants in detention during which Cummings sharply critiqued acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan.
“The damage that the Trump administration has inflicted – and is continuing to inflict – will impact these children for the rest of their lives,” Cummings told McAleenan, referring to the detention of young migrants.
Cummings’ Oversight Committee voted Thursday to authorize subpoenas for senior White House officials’ email and messaging app communications as it investigates the use of personal messaging and email accounts to conduct official business. The committee is now authorized to issue subpoenas for the communications of officials such as acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and advisers Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Trump’s daughter and son-in-law, respectively.
Baltimore’s homicide rate is one of the highest among major American metropolitan areas, according to FBI data, with 56 homicides for every 100,000 people.
Only part of Baltimore, though, is in Cummings’ district, which also includes suburban and rural areas around the city.
Trump made similar comments in January 2017 when attacking another black congressman, Rep. John Lewis, DGa. Trump said the civil rights icon’s district was “in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested)” after Lewis said he would be skipping Trump’s inauguration.
“Dude, just stop,” Rep. Justin Amash, then a Republican and now an independent from Michigan, suggested at the time.