The Baltimore Sun penned a scathing editorial following President Donald Trump's claims that Baltimore "is a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess." According to Trump, if Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) spent more time in his district, it would no longer be a "dangerous and filthy place."
According to the Sun, Trump's comments were geared towards Cummings because he's "been a thorn in the president's side."
From the editorial:
It’s not hard to see what’s going on here. The congressman has been a thorn in this president’s side, and Mr. Trump sees attacking African American members of Congress as good politics, as it both warms the cockles of the white supremacists who love him and causes so many of the thoughtful people who don’t to scream. President Trump bad-mouthed Baltimore in order to make a point that the border camps are “clean, efficient & well run," which, of course, they are not — unless you are fine with all the overcrowding, squalor, cages and deprivation to be found in what the Department of Homeland Security’s own inspector-general recently called “a ticking time bomb."
In pointing to the 7th, the president wasn’t hoping his supporters would recognize landmarks like Johns Hopkins Hospital, perhaps the nation’s leading medical center. He wasn’t conjuring images of the U.S. Social Security Administration, where they write the checks that so many retired and disabled Americans depend upon. It wasn’t about the beauty of the Inner Harbor or the proud history of Fort McHenry. And it surely wasn’t about the economic standing of a district where the median income is actually above the national average. No, he was returning to an old standby of attacking an African American lawmaker from a majority black district on the most emotional and bigoted of arguments. It was only surprising that there wasn’t room for a few classic phrases like “you people” or “welfare queens” or “crime-ridden ghettos” or a suggestion that the congressman “go back” to where he came from.
What's interesting, however, is the Sun doesn't deny what President Trump said. They don't deny that their city is a rat-infested, trash-infested dump. They don't deny that Cummings has done absolutely nothing to help the district.
They're mad that Trump pointed out their city's short fallings. And, naturally, they point and say Trump is attacking Cummings because of his race. Heaven forbid a president cares about American citizens, regardless of race.
To make matters even more ironic, the newspaper believes Trump, of all people, could fix what's wrong with the Maryland city.
As heartening as it has been to witness public figures rise to Charm City’s defense on Saturday, from native daughter House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young, we would above all remind Mr. Trump that the 7th District, Baltimore included, is part of the United States that he is supposedly governing. The White House has far more power to effect change in this city, for good or ill, than any single member of Congress including Mr. Cummings. If there are problems here, rodents included, they are as much his responsibility as anyone’s, perhaps more because he holds the most powerful office in the land.
The people of the 7th District should consider ousting Cummings and electing a representative who actually advocates for the interest of his or her constituents. If Trump tried to go in and make changes, local and state legislators would be up in arms. They'd say Trump was stepping on their toes and the executive branch was far exceeding their power.
It's a lose-lose scenario.
The people of Baltimore deserve better. No one deserves to live in a trash-filled, rodent-infested city while the area's representatives live the posh high life. That's the ultimate slap in the face.
And, in case you were wondering what's going on in Baltimore, a local resident, going only by the name Michelle, explained what she's seen and experienced. And it's not pretty.