GOP voices offer a range of responses to Trump's Baltimore tweets


President Trump has received his fair share of criticism for his attacks on House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and the city of Baltimore. But the White House's acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney is backing his boss.
Mulvaney appeared on Fox News' Fox News Sunday, where he told host Chris Wallace that Trump's criticism of Cummings had "absolutely zero to do with race." He said that the president was only going after Cummings for his criticism of the situation at the southern border.
Mulvaney wasn't the only GOP voice to weigh on Sunday, though he was the most supportive of the president. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) avoided condemning or supporting the tweets on NBC's Meet the Press, but he did say he was "disappointed" in Cummings for "attacking Border Patrol agents that are trying to do their job."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican who does not work for Trump and does not have to worry about re-election, was more forthright in his criticism. During an appearance on ABC's This Week, he said the tweets were a "bad idea."
Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas), the only black Republican in the House, was highly critical of Trump's previous racist tweets directed at four Democratic congresswomen, but he went easier on the president this time around, arguing that the Baltimore tweets were "different." Hurd, who also appeared on This Week, did suggest that he didn't agree with Trump's style. Tim O'Donnell
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Today's political cartoons - May 10, 2025
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, and more
-
5 streetwise cartoons about defunding PBS
Cartoons Artists take on immigrant puppets, defense spending, and more
-
Dark chocolate macadamia cookies recipe
The Week Recommends These one-bowl cookies will melt in your mouth
-
Trump taps Fox News' Pirro for DC attorney post
speed read The president has named Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to be the top federal prosecutor for Washington, replacing acting US Attorney Ed Martin
-
Trump, UK's Starmer outline first post-tariff deal
speed read President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Kier Starmer struck a 'historic' agreement to eliminate some of the former's imposed tariffs
-
Fed leaves rates unchanged as Powell warns on tariffs
speed read The Federal Reserve says the risks of higher inflation and unemployment are increasing under Trump's tariffs
-
Denmark to grill US envoy on Greenland spying report
speed read The Trump administration ramped up spying on Greenland, says reporting by The Wall Street Journal
-
Supreme Court allows transgender troop ban
speed read The US Supreme Court will let the Trump administration begin executing its ban on transgender military service members
-
Hollywood confounded by Trump's film tariff idea
speed read President Trump proposed a '100% tariff' on movies 'produced in foreign lands'
-
Trump offers migrants $1,000 to 'self-deport'
speed read The Department of Homeland Security says undocumented immigrants can leave the US in a more 'dignified way'
-
Trump is not sure he must follow the Constitution
speed read When asked about due process for migrants in a TV interview, President Trump said he didn't know whether he had to uphold the Fifth Amendment