Trump doubles down on attacks against Cummings and Baltimore district

President Trump doubled down on his attacks against Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and his Baltimore congressional district, saying it’s “sad” that the longtime congressman has done “so little” for the city he represents and accusing Democrats of playing “the Race Card.”

“So sad that Elijah Cummings has been able to do so little for the people of Baltimore,” Trump said in a tweet late Saturday before claiming that “statistically, Baltimore ranks last in almost every major category. Cummings has done nothing but milk Baltimore dry, but the public is getting wise to the bad job that he is doing!”

So sad that Elijah Cummings has been able to do so little for the people of Baltimore. Statistically, Baltimore ranks last in almost every major category. Cummings has done nothing but milk Baltimore dry, but the public is getting wise to the bad job that he is doing!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2019

Trump did not expand on what statistics he was referring to. He defended his position again early Sunday, saying there is “nothing wrong” with pointing out that Cummings has done a “very poor job.”

“The Democrats always play the Race Card, when in fact they have done so little for our Nation’s great African American people. … Elijah Cummings has failed badly,” Trump said. 

Someone please explain to Nancy Pelosi, who was recently called racist by those in her own party, that there is nothing wrong with bringing out the very obvious fact that Congressman Elijah Cummings has done a very poor job for his district and the City of Baltimore. Just take…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2019

The tweets came in the 24 hours after Trump called Cummings, the chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, a “brutal bully” while casting his district as “disgusting” and “rodent infested.”

{mosads}”Cummings has been a brutal bully, shouting and screaming at the great men & women of Border Patrol about conditions at the Southern Border, when actually his Baltimore district is FAR WORSE and more dangerous,” Trump said on Twitter earlier Saturday. 

“His district is considered the Worst in the USA as proven last week during a Congressional tour, the Border is clean, efficient & well run, just very crowded. Cumming District is a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess. If he spent more time in Baltimore, maybe he could help clean up this very dangerous & filthy place,” Trump added. 

Several Democratic lawmakers, including public officials from Baltimore, denounced Trump’s comments as racist. 

Cummings responded to the president’s attack, saying, “Mr. President, I go home to my district daily. Each morning, I wake up, and I go and fight for my neighbors. It is my constitutional duty to conduct oversight of the Executive Branch. But, it is my moral duty to fight for my constituents.”  

Cummings has been a vocal critic of Trump throughout the president’s time in the White House, and he has used his role as House Oversight and Reform Committee chairman to conduct investigations into the administration. 

The attacks from Trump came after Cummings said the administration’s treatment of migrant children at U.S.-run facilities was “government-sponsored child abuse.” They also came days after Cummings’s committee authorized subpoenas for records from the White House regarding aides’ use of personal email and text applications for official business.

UPDATED 7:36 a.m.