Baltimore mayor asks Trump to cancel Memorial Day visit: It sends 'the wrong message' to residents
Baltimore Mayor Bernard "Jack" Young on Thursday asked President Trump to "please stay home" and not visit the city's Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine on Memorial Day.
Baltimore is under a stay-at-home order because of the coronavirus, and Young said in a statement the city has worked "closely with our health professionals to educate the public about the benefits of social distancing and staying home, unless leaving for an essential reason, like visiting a doctor or picking up groceries. That President Trump is deciding to pursue nonessential travel sends the wrong message to our residents, many of whom have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 virus."
Young wishes that Trump, "as our nation's leader, would set a positive example and not travel during this holiday weekend." Not only does a trip to Baltimore send "a conflicting message to our residents, his visit requires personnel and equipment and has a price tag that our city, which is still dealing with the loss of roughly $20 million in revenue per month, simply can't afford to shoulder."
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.
The White House announced on Wednesday that Trump would spend part of Memorial Day at the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, which is currently closed to the public. Trump has called Baltimore a "rat and rodent infested mess," and was greeted by protesters last September when he came to the city for an event. On Thursday evening, the White House said Trump isn't going to cancel his plans, as "the brave men and women who have preserved our freedoms for generations did not stay home and the president will not either as he honors their sacrifice by visiting such a historic landmark in our nation's history."
-
Buddhist monks’ US walk for peaceUnder the Radar Crowds have turned out on the roads from California to Washington and ‘millions are finding hope in their journey’
-
American universities are losing ground to their foreign counterpartsThe Explainer While Harvard is still near the top, other colleges have slipped
-
How to navigate dating apps to find ‘the one’The Week Recommends Put an end to endless swiping and make real romantic connections
-
Judge rejects California’s ICE mask ban, OKs ID lawSpeed Read Federal law enforcement agents can wear masks but must display clear identification
-
Lawmakers say Epstein files implicate 6 more menSpeed Read The Trump department apparently blacked out the names of several people who should have been identified
-
Japan’s Takaichi cements power with snap election winSpeed Read President Donald Trump congratulated the conservative prime minister
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
