President Donald Trump said Sunday that he would send the National Guard to Baltimore to "quickly clean up the crime" if Maryland Gov. Wes Moore says he needs help.
Moore had earlier invited Trump to attend a public safety walk in the crime-ridden city in September, saying in an Aug. 21 letter that the event would provide an opportunity to "discuss strategies for effective public safety policy."
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"As President, I would much prefer that he clean up this crime disaster before I go there for a walk," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
He accused Moore of having a poor record on crime "unless he fudges his figures on crime like many of the other Blue States are doing."
Trump added that he did not appreciate the tone of Moore's invitation.
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"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," Trump wrote. He added that Baltimore ranks among the worst cities in the United States for crime and murder.
Moore's office renewed calls for Trump to visit Baltimore in a statement to Fox News Digital, adding that the city has recorded its lowest homicide level in fifty years.
"This is a President who would rather attack his country's largest cities from behind a desk than walk the streets with the people he represents. The President should join us in Baltimore because the blissful ignorance, tropes, and the 1980s scare tactics benefit no one. We need leaders who are there helping the people who are actually on the ground doing the work," a spokesperson for Moore wrote.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration rolled out a plan aimed at making Washington, D.C., "safer and more beautiful" as his administration doubles down on efforts to address crime and a growing homeless population in the nation's capital.
"I will take care of our cherished Capital, and we will make it, truly, GREAT AGAIN! Before the tents, squalor, filth, and crime, it was the most beautiful Capital in the world. It will soon be that again," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Aug. 10.
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Trump has repeatedly characterized Washington, D.C., as "one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world." Officials have sought to curb crime by deploying hundreds of federal agents and National Guard troops to patrol the streets.
On Friday, Trump said he was considering sending the National Guard to Chicago, calling the Windy City "a mess."
Trump said that his administration will "straighten that one out probably next," adding that "it won't even be tough." The White House has not offered additional details of a potential deployment of troops to Chicago.
