President Trump said Tuesday that “grateful” blacks in Baltimore are calling the White House to thank him for exposing corruption by their elected city officials, including Democratic Rep. Elijah E. Cummings.
“They are so happy, because I get the calls,” Mr. Trump told reporters. “They are happy as hell. The African-American community is so thankful at what I’ve been doing. They’ve been calling me and saying finally somebody is telling the truth.”
Mr. Trump is in a running feud with Mr. Cummings, chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, whose district includes much of Baltimore. The president called it a “rat and rodent infested mess” last weekend, renewing accusations of racism from Democrats such as the Rev. Al Sharpton.
“I am the least racist person in the world,” the president said.
Of Mr. Sharpton, the president said, “He is a racist.”
The president said he believes his feud is helping his political prospects, because voters like him calling attention to corruption.
“The ones who like it the best, what I’m doing, are African-American voters,” Mr. Trump said. “Those people are living in hell in Baltimore. They really appreciate what I’m doing. I think I’m helping myself.”
He criticized again what he said was rampant corruption in the city, saying “all that money that has been spent over 20 years has been stolen and wasted by people like Elijah Cummings.”
“Baltimore has been very badly mishandled for many years,” Mr. Trump said, asserting that Mr. Cummings had an “iron” grip on his district.
In the past week, Mr. Cummings angered the president by excoriating acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan in a hearing on conditions at border detention facilities.
The Oversight and Reform Committee also voted on Thursday to authorize subpoenas for senior White House officials’ communications via private email accounts and messaging applications, escalating congressional probes of the administration’s record-keeping. The move came after the White House refused to turn over messages from White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, senior adviser Ivanka Trump and other aides.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.