Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan called President Donald Trump’s criticism of Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings and his Baltimore district “outrageous and inappropriate.”
In a series of weekend tweets, Trump called Cummings’ district a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess” and the congressman, who is black, a racist.
“Enough is enough,” the Republican governor told WBAL. “People are just completely fed up with this kind of nonsense.”
Hogan, who is set to chair the bipartisan National Governors Association, called for the White House and Congress to “stop the tweeting” and focus on solving Baltimore’s problems.
Hogan said he had long been calling for an end to “angry and divisive politics that are literally tearing America apart," including during his recent NGA address.
“You can’t find another Republican governor in America that’s been more critical of the President on so many topics,” Hogan said, adding that he had also denounced Trump’s comments on freshman Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib.
Hogan described the tactics the city and state are using to prevent violence, including dispatching 500 additional police officers to Baltimore, pushing for stricter sentencing for repeat offenders and investing $5 billion into the city.
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“We’re doing a lot of things, but we sure could use some help from the White House and from the Congress,” Hogan said.
Hogan said he hopes Trump’s comments and the aftermath steer the conversation toward problem-solving and away from angry back-and-forth.
“What I care about is the city of Baltimore and us fixing the problems,” Hogan said. “It’s the heart of our state. It’s the lifeblood of Maryland.”
