Democrats slam president over criticism of Baltimore
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President Trump on Monday blasted Rev. Al Sharpton as a "con man," claiming he "hates whites & cops," after the MSNBC host said he would travel to Baltimore amid the controversy over the president's comments about the city and its Democratic lawmakers.
Sharpton tweeted Sunday evening that he would travel to Baltimore to "address Trump's remarks & bi-partisan outrage in the black community" over them. Trump responded by slamming Sharpton, saying they have known each other for decades and used to attend fights together. But the president did not pull any punches when weighing in on Sharpton's character.
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“I have known Al for 25 years. Went to fights with him & Don King, always got along well. He “loved Trump!’ He would ask me for favors often,” the president tweeted. Trump then continued, “Al is a con man, a troublemaker, always looking for a score. Just doing his thing. Must have intimidated Comcast/NBC. Hates Whites & Cops!" he tweeted.
Minutes later, the president added: "Al Sharpton would always ask me to go to his events. He would say, “it’s a personal favor to me.” Seldom, but sometimes, I would go. It was fine. He came to my office in T.T. during the presidential campaign to apologize for the way he was talking about me. Just a conman at work!"
The president's tweets come after Sharpton, on Sunday night, posted details of a press conference he planned to give Monday “to address Trump’s remarks & bi-partisan outrage in the black community.” This was in response to Trump's criticism of Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., and the condition of his district, which includes Baltimore.
Minutes after Trump's tweets, Sharpton responded, sharing a vintage photo of Trump with him, Jesse Jackson and James Brown.
"Trump at NAN Convention 2006 telling James Brown and Jesse Jackson why he respects my work. Different tune now," Sharpton tweeted.
Sharpton also called into MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Monday, saying Trump is "going to attack the most visible black person that comes across his desk and he thinks can set a tone," but that he is "not going to bite the bait." Sharpton then continued to discuss his history with Trump, and accused the president of "peddling racism and dividing this country."
"Trump says I’m a troublemaker & con man. I do make trouble for bigots. If he really thought I was a con man he would want me in his cabinet," Sharpton tweeted later Monday morning.
The Baltimore controversy came after Cummings criticized border patrol officials during a House Oversight Committee hearing. Trump, over the weekend, claimed that conditions in Cummings' Baltimore district were "more dangerous" than those at the border, described it as "rodent infested," and said that "no human being would want to live there."
Democrats immediately rallied to Cummings' side, such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and accused Trump of being racist.
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The president continued his attacks against Cummings on Monday, tweeting that while Cummings has been in office, Baltimore “has the worst Crime Statistics in the Nation,” and described Cummings’ representation as “25 years of all talk, no action!” He then lumped the congressmen in with other Democrats he has feuded with in recent weeks, the "Squad" of Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib.
"If the Democrats are going to defend the Radical Left "Squad" and King Elijah's Baltimore Fail, it will be a long road to 2020," Trump said.
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