Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) accused President Trump of promoting “racist viewpoints” after the president suggested Monday that Baltimore was among the major U.S. cities his Washington, D.C., crime crackdown could expand to.
Scott in an interview late Monday suggested the White House should, instead, work with mayors who are already trying to drive down violent crime rates.
“The president could learn a lot from us instead of throwing things at us,” the Charm City mayor said on CNN’s “Laura Coates Live.”
“What he’s doing is dog-whistling through this right-wing propaganda and, quite frankly, racist viewpoints that they have about these cities and trying to convince the American people that what they know is not true.”
Trump declared a public safety emergency in the nation’s capital, paving the way for a federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the deployment of National Guard troops.
Trump told reporters as he unveiled his latest anti-crime efforts that he was concerned about other American cities “that are bad — very bad.”
The president specifically called out Chicago, Los Angeles and New York, adding “then you have of course, Baltimore and Oakland, [Calif.] — they don’t even mention them anymore, they’re so far gone.”
Scott said on CNN that cities such as Baltimore have been working to curb violence through community-driven initiatives that bring together law enforcement, legal advocates and the public.
“I think it’s very notable that each and every one of the cities called out by the president has a Black mayor, and most of those cities are seeing historic lows in violent crime,” Scott said. “The reality is: No mayor is out here saying that we don’t have to deal with crime. That’s our No. 1 issue that we deal with each and every day.”
Scott said the Trump administration has not reached out to him about crime or what the city is doing to fight it.
The White House fired back at Scott’s remarks and doubled down the necessity of Trump’s anti-crime efforts.
“Baltimore’s Mayor has no business commenting on President Trump’s bold leadership to crack down on violent crime in our Nation’s capital,” White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said in a statement to The Hill. “Baltimore has one of the highest crime rates in the country and is one the most dangerous cities in America.”
“Instead of criticizing the President’s lawful actions to Make DC Safe Again, Democrat-run cities plagued by violent crime should focus on cleaning up their own streets,” she added.
Trump and his allies have pushed back on claims that violent crime rates are falling in cities he’s targeted.
“I see too much violent crime being committed by young punks who think that they can get together in gangs and crews and beat the hell out of you or anyone else,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said at the White House briefing.
White House officials have also pointed out that a D.C. police commander is under investigation for allegedly making changes to crime statistics in his District. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) and MPD Chief Pamela Smith declined to comment on the case during a separate press briefing Monday, citing the ongoing investigation.
Trump compared his anti-crime initiative to his migrant crackdown at the U.S. southern border.
“What you need is rules and regulations, and you need the right people to implement them, and we have the right people here,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday.
The head of the D.C. Police Union backed up the president’s move in a statement.
“Crime is out of control, and our officers are stretched beyond their limits,” union Chair Gregg Pemberton said.
Updated at 1:11 p.m. EDT
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