Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) is seeing his national profile rise as his feud with President Trump intensifies and he seeks to position himself as a leader in the chorus of Democratic governors resisting Trump.
Trump and Moore spent much of the weekend firing insults at each other after Trump threatened to deploy the National Guard to Baltimore, describing the city as “out of control” and “crime-ridden.” Moore subsequently hit back, saying the president “is doing everything in his power to distract from the Epstein files.”
Moore also revealed over the weekend that he is actively exploring redistricting options in Maryland in an effort to counter GOP redistricting in red states such as Texas. Those comments elicited praise from California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who has led the Democratic redistricting counterattack.
The Maryland governor’s increasingly aggressive stance against the Trump administration echoes Newsom’s in particular, and comes as he faces speculation that, like his California counterpart, he’s weighing a presidential run in 2028.
Trump’s push for Republicans to redistrict in red states, as well as his move to deploy National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C., and threaten to deploy them to other cities, have become particular flash points in the Democratic resistance to Trump.
“The redistricting fight is becoming somewhat of a litmus test for who’s willing to do what’s necessary to stop Donald Trump,” said Mike Nellis, a Democratic strategist.
The Maryland governor has signaled he is building his national brand in recent months, taking trips to a number of major presidential contest states including Pennsylvania and South Carolina.
Moore made headlines Sunday when he told CBS News that “all options were on the table” when it comes to redistricting in Maryland.
Newsom has been the most prominent face of the Democratic response to Republican redistricting efforts, setting up a special election in the state to pass newly redrawn maps designed to cancel out the Republican-drawn ones in Texas.
“I don’t think he has to recreate what Newsom did to get some attention, but it’s more important that these guys deliver what is necessary, because the Republicans are going to do what they’re told,” Nellis said. “For Wes, it’s an opportunity to show that he can deliver to Democratic base voters who are frustrated with this administration.”
Meanwhile, his feud with Trump is playing out against the backdrop of Trump’s threats to send troops into Baltimore to “quickly clean up” crime.
“But if Wes Moore needs help, like Gavin Newscum did in L.A., I will send in the ‘troops,’ which is being done in nearby DC, and quickly clean up the Crime,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post Sunday.
Trump continued to criticize Moore and Baltimore while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, calling the city “a horrible deathbed.”
“Gov. Moore said, ‘Oh, he wants to take a walk with me.’ He meant it in a derogatory tone. I said, ‘No, no. I’m the president of the United States. Clean up your crime and I’ll walk with you,’” Trump said, referring to Moore’s calls for him to visit Baltimore. “He doesn’t have what it takes.”
The president went on to say he spoke with Moore at the Army-Navy football game last year, claiming the governor told him he was the “greatest president of all time.”
Moore quickly responded to that allegation, writing “lol” in a post on the social platform X.
“Keep telling yourself that, Mr. President,” the governor added.
In a lengthier statement, Moore said Trump “represents what people hate most about politicians — someone who only seeks to benefit themselves.”
“This is a President who would rather attack his country’s largest cities from behind a desk than walk the streets with the people he represents,” the 46-year-old governor said. “The President should join us in Baltimore because the blissful ignorance, tropes, and the 1980s scare tactics benefit no one. We need leaders who are there helping the people who are actually on the ground doing the work.”
According to a U.S. News and World Report poll released last month, Baltimore was ranked as the fourth most dangerous city in the country. The survey’s rankings were based on murder and property rate crimes determined by FBI crime reports.
But Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) says the city has recently seen a dramatic decrease in crime. According to Scott’s office, the city has experienced a 24.3 percent decrease in homicides and a 18.3 percent decrease in fatal shootings. Additionally, Scott’s office notes that as of Aug. 1, Baltimore saw 84 homicides this year, compared to 111 homicides in the first seven months of 2024, marking a 50-year low.
“Baltimore is a story of resilience and strength. When I took office, Baltimore averaged nearly a homicide a day. Today, after record-level funding for law enforcement and increased coordination, homicides in Baltimore are lower than when I was born–the fewest homicides at this point in a year in the last fifty years. But let me be clear, if one person does not feel safe in their neighborhood, that’s one too many,” Moore said in a statement.
Democratic strategists have warned other members of the party about debating crime statistics. However, Moore made a unique and personal case against Trump’s move to deploy the National Guard to Washington and threats to send them to nearby Baltimore.
“It’s deeply disrespectful to the members of the National Guard,” Moore, an Army veteran, said in his interview with CBS News. “As someone who actually deployed overseas and served my country in combat, to ask these men and women to do a job that they’re not trained for is just deeply disrespectful.”
Moore’s comments invoking his own military background are reflective of Democrats’ argument that Trump’s use of the National Guard in Washington is for optics.
“I think Wes is smart to personalize the fight for him, because it would have been easy for a commander in chief to abuse Wes and his fellow soldiers in the same way,” Nellis said. “They’re using them as political props.”
“You can twist the numbers any way you want to make whatever case you want but nobody, especially Donald Trump, is actually going to do anything that’s going to solve or reduce crime in this country,” he said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Comments