President Donald Trump responded to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), who invited the president on Thursday to “walk the streets” of Baltimore, calling for the governor to clean up the “out of control, crime ridden” city.
In a post on Truth Social on Sunday, Trump criticized the Maryland governor’s record on crime and said if Baltimore needs assistance he will send in the National Guard like he did in Los Angeles and Washington, DC. Trump also noted that he had given Moore “a lot of money to fix his demolished bridge,” adding that he might have to rethink the decision.
“Governor Wes Moore of Maryland has asked, in a rather nasty and provocative tone, that I ‘walk the streets of Maryland’ with him,” Trump wrote in his post. “I assume he is talking about out of control, crime ridden, Baltimore? As President, I would much prefer that he clean up this Crime disaster before I go there for a ‘walk.’”
Trump’s post comes after Moore wrote a letter addressed to Trump, inviting him to take part in a public safety walk in September with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D), Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates (D), and Moore.
“I would like to formally invite you to attend our next public safety walk in September, at a date of your choosing,” Moore said in his letter. “We would be joined by the Baltimore City Mayor, the Baltimore State’s Attorney, elected officials, local law enforcement, and community groups. In Maryland and in Baltimore, you will find people who share the same commitment to public safety that I have — and who want to be part of the solution, not the problem.”
In his letter, Moore also expressed that “there is no higher priority” for him “than the safety” of the people of his state. Moore expressed that he has tried a different path and that the state has “taken an all-of-the-above approach to public safety.”
“Wes Moore’s record on Crime is a very bad one, unless he fudges his figures on crime like many of the other ‘Blue States’ are doing,” Trump continued. “But if Wes Moore needs help, like Gavin Newscum did in L.A., I will send in the ‘troops,’ which is being done in nearby DC, and quickly clean up the Crime.”
In June, Trump sent the National Guard to Los Angeles in an effort to quell violent riots against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.
Trump announced on August 11 that he was “invoking section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act,” placing the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) under federal control, and mobilizing the National Guard to address crime in the nation’s capital.
Since the president’s announcement, violent crime in the city reportedly dropped 22 percent.
“After only one week, there is NO CRIME AND NO MURDER IN DC!” Trump added. “When it is like that in Baltimore, I will proudly ‘walk the streets’ with the failing, because of Crime, Governor of Maryland. P.S. Baltimore is ranked the 4th WORST CITY IN THE NATION IN CRIME & MURDER. Stop talking and get to work, Wes.”
