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Trump says Democrats 'always play the race card,' then calls Elijah Cummings 'racist'
USA Today
Sun Jul 28, 2019
Category: Politics
Area: Washington, DC (Hagerstown)
President Donald Trump pushed back Sunday against Democrats after they denounced as racist his attacks on Baltimore as a "rodent infested mess" where "no human being would want to live".
Trump said his opponents "always play the race card when they are unable to win with facts."
It was the second time Sunday that Trump accused the Democrats of playing the "race card." He went on to call Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., a "racist" who should "focus more of his energy on helping the good people of his district, and Baltimore itself."
Trump made his original comments about Baltimore on Saturday in a series of tweets criticizing Cummings because the chairman of the House Oversight Committee decried the administration's treatment of migrants at the U.S.-Mexican border.
Trump slammed Cummings' district, which includes much of Baltimore, as a "filthy place" that is "FAR WORSE and more dangerous" than the southern border. He called it the worst district "in the USA."
Democrats rallied to defend Cummings and denounced the president's tweets attacking an African American congressman and a city that is more than 60% African American as racist.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who was born in Baltimore, said Cummings "is a champion in the Congress and the country for civil rights and economic justice, a beloved leader in Baltimore, and deeply valued colleague. We all reject racist attacks against him and support his steadfast leadership."
"There is nothing racist in stating plainly what most people already know, that Elijah Cummings has done a terrible job for the people of his district, and of Baltimore itself," Trump tweeted. "Dems always play the race card when they are unable to win with facts. Shame!"
Despite his protestations against the use of the label, Trump frequently accuses his critics of racism.
This month, after Trump posted tweets telling four minority congresswomen to "go back and help fix" their countries of origin, Pelosi said the remarks showed Trump's "plan to 'Make America Great Again' has always been about making America white again." The president called that a "very racist statement."
He called the four Democrat congresswomen "a very Racist group of troublemakers who are young, inexperienced, and not very smart."
Others he has accused of racism include former President Barack Obama, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., director Spike Lee, commentator Tavis Smiley, sportscaster Bryant Gumbel, former Rep. Antony Weiner, D-N.Y., comedian Jon Stewart, "Modern Family" producer Danny Zucker, the film "Django Unchained" and Macy's department store.
Then came the tweet Sunday about Cummings.
There is nothing racist in stating plainly what most people already know, that Elijah Cummings has done a terrible job for the people of his district, and of Baltimore itself. Dems always play the race card when they are unable to win with facts. Shame!
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)
July 28, 2019
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