President Trump on Saturday trashed Washington, D.C, calling the U.S. capital a “real mess” in light of another top Republican complaining about the city’s Democratic leadership.
Mr. Trump echoed Ronna McDaniel, the chair of the Republican National Committee, who called out D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on social media several minutes earlier Saturday morning.
Ms. McDaniel said on Twitter that she was disgusted by the way Republican National Convention attendees were treated in D.C. where it ended Thursday evening.
“Disgusting to see many of the RNC attendees threatened,” Ms. McDaniel tweeted. “Mayor Bowser failed to protect them because they are Republican,” she alleged.
“Another Democrat run city. They are a real mess!” Mr. Trump replied within minutes.
The RNC concluded with Mr. Trump speaking to a crowd of more than 1,000 people gathered on the south lawn of the White House while accepting the Republican nomination once more.
Protests took place in the vicinity of the White House before, during and after Mr. Trump’s speech, and some attendees were accosted by the crowds upon leaving the event.
Indeed, Ms. McDaniel’s tweet references a post from the GOP’s official Twitter account that included video showing protesters confronting RNC attendees including Sen. Rand Paul.
Mr. Paul, Kentucky Republican, was approached by a group of protesters after leaving the president’s speech. Video captured by several bystanders shows that several the demonstrators tried to confront Mr. Paul about Breonna Taylor, a Black woman fatally shot by police in March in Louisville, before a number of uniformed police officers intervene to escort him away.
In an op-ed published late Thursday, Mr. Paul said he was mobbed by a group of “over 100 screaming and out-of-control lunatics” and blamed Ms. Bowser for what had happened.
Ms. Bowser’s office did not immediately return a message seeking her reaction to the president’s tweet.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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