Donald Trump has once again created controversy with his tweets, this time by targeting Representative Elijah Cummings and the city of Baltimore.
“Rep, Elijah Cummings has been a brutal bully, shouting and screaming at the great men & women of Border Patrol about conditions at the Southern Border, when actually his Baltimore district is FAR WORSE and more dangerous. His district is considered the Worst in the USA,” Trump said in the tweets early Saturday. “As proven last week during a Congressional tour, the Border is clean, efficient & well run, just very crowded. Cummings’ District is a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess. If he spent more time in Baltimore, maybe he could help clean up this very dangerous & filthy place.”
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The words sparked mass condemnation of the president, with Cummings responding and CNN anchor Victor Blackwell getting emotional on-air with his response highlighting the theme of Trump’s typical targets.
The full speech from Victor Blackwell, who grew up in West Baltimore.
Listen to every word.
Donald Trump is a racist. pic.twitter.com/QDa1sONBId
โ Michael Skolnik (@MichaelSkolnik) July 27, 2019
“The president says about Congressman Cummings’ district that no human would want to live there,” Blackwell said on Saturday morning. “You know who did, Mr. President? I did, from the day I was brought home from the hospital to the day I left for college, and a lot of people I care about still do.”
Among these responses is one from former First Lady Michelle Obama according to TMZ. While she didn’t call out Trump directly, Obama used a post about National Dance Day to show some positivity for Baltimore and to lean into her old mantra from the 2016 campaigns.
On #NationalDanceDay, I’m shouting out the Lethal Ladies, a Baltimore STEP team who I saw perform back in 2017. Iโm so proud of you allโand everyone whoโs dancing today! pic.twitter.com/U15Be9wSMs
โ Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) July 27, 2019
“On [National Dance Day], I’m shouting out the Lethal Ladies, a Baltimore STEP team who I saw perform back in 2017. I’m so proud of you allโand everyone who’s dancing today!”
Not only is it calling out to Baltimore, but the girls also go to Obama’s slogan, “When they go low, we go high!” It’s a fitting response from FLOTUS after weeks of divisive comments made by the current president.
Barack Obama also seemed to clap back at Trump through an op-ed in the Washington Post via CNN.
“We refuse to sit idly by as racism, sexism, homophobia and xenophobia are wielded by the president and any elected official complicit in the poisoning of our democracy. … We are red-blooded Americans, we are patriots, and we have plenty to say about the direction this country is headed,” the former president wrote in the piece. “Expect to hear more from us. We plan to leave this country better than we found it. This is our home.”
Iโve always been proud of what this team accomplished during my administration. But more than what we did, Iโm proud of how theyโre continuing to fight for an America thatโs better. https://t.co/0cfDltjueP
โ Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 27, 2019