Maryland's Republican governor calls Trump's Baltimore comments 'outrageous' and 'inappropriate'


Marylanders finally heard from their governor.
The Old Line state's Gov. Larry Hogan (R) faced some criticism for his initially tepid response to President Trump's attacks on Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Baltimore, which he described as a "rat and rodent infested mess." Hogan is a known Trump critic, who even considered launching a primary challenge against the president, and recently condemned Trump's racist tweets directed at four Democratic congresswomen.
But when Trump's attention turned toward Baltimore and Cummings on Saturday, Hogan's response was more muted. In a statement, he called Baltimore the "heart of our state" and said "more attacks between politicians aren't going to get us anywhere."
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His constituents in Maryland weren't having it. They sent open letters and tweets expressing their disappointment in Hogan, who was traveling back to Maryland from Salt Lake City on Sunday.
But he answered their calls on Monday. In an interview on WBAL's C4, a Baltimore radio show, Hogan called Trump's comments "outrageous" and "inappropriate." He also pointed out that many state officials are working to curb violence in the city, but called on Trump to step up and help, rather than foment division in Washington.
"We're doing a lot of things, but we sure could use some help from the White House and from the Congress," Hogan said. Read more at WBAL.
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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.
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