Trump escalates rhetoric against Baltimore


President Trump on Thursday stepped up his criticism of Baltimore and other diverse cities he said were run by Democrats who "deliver poverty for their constituents and privilege for themselves," The Washington Post reports. Trump, speaking at a rally in the swing state of Ohio, said federal funding sent to these cities was "stolen money and it's wasted money, and it's a shame."
Trump has previously singled out Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), the African-American chair of a House committee investigating the Trump administration, and his majority-black Baltimore-area district, prompting allegations of racism from Democrats. This time he didn't mention any lawmakers by name. "We can name one after another, but I won't do that, because I don't want to be controversial," Trump said.
You can watch video of the rally via NBC News.
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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.
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