Moore in DC reiterates opposition to Trump as bipartisan event shifts to fighting back
Published in Political News
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore — at an event billed as a discussion about bipartisanship in Washington, D.C., on Thursday — continued to stress his opposition to President Donald Trump’s efforts to both send federal troops to Baltimore and redraw congressional districts ahead of next year’s midterms.
The Democratic governor, who has emphasized “partnership” across party lines repeatedly since entering office, has often said he would try to work with Trump and with Republicans generally.
But sitting alongside a Republican governor at the National Press Club, the conversation turned to fighting back more than working together.
“Do they have the mettle to be able to hold?” Moore said, referring to governors and other leaders who are facing what he considered to be illegal decisions from Trump. “Or are we going to watch people just sit silently? Are we going to watch people just sit quietly?”
The event — at the press club’s headquarters a stone’s throw away from the White House — came amid a weeks-long war of words between Moore and Trump. The president has said he will send federal troops to patrol crime in Baltimore while Moore has fiercely rejected the idea.
The attacks turned personal, with Trump questioning Moore’s military record and Moore calling Trump, “President Bone Spurs,” in reference to the reason he avoided the Vietnam War draft. Moore has also emphasized Baltimore’s declining crime rates while Trump called the city a “hellhole” filled with “hardcore criminals.”
“This is why I personally have invited the president to come,” Moore said Thursday. “Instead of spewing untruths from the Oval Office, join me in Baltimore, join me in the communities. Because I would love for him to come and be educated, and actually make educated comments instead of things that are just completely politically driven dribble that is actually just infusing a greater level of disconnect, and frankly, a greater level of disappointment in people in our political process.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, joined Moore at the event and the pair repeatedly complimented each other. They previously worked together through the National Governors Association, including with a campaign called “Disagree Better” during the presidential race last year.
“I’m really proud of what’s happening in Maryland and the ‘Maryland miracle’ that we’re seeing,” Cox said at one point, congratulating Moore on the historic drops in homicides and violent crime in Baltimore.
Moore, as he’s often done in recent weeks, said that state-level investments in local law enforcement have contributed to the drops. Credit has also been attributed to Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott’s violence reduction efforts and State’s Attorney Ivan Bates’ approach to prosecutions.
In the ongoing national debate about gerrymandering, Moore also reiterated on Thursday that “all options are on the table” as he watches Republican states redraw their district lines to gain an advantage in next year’s midterms.
Maryland is one of the few states where Democrats have full control and could potentially redraw a map that would disadvantage Republicans — a move that national Democrats are seeking to counter Texas Republicans’ move to win as many as five additional seats there. California Democrats have already taken steps to counter that effort, and some Maryland Democrats are eager to join in the fight, which could threaten the reelection chances of U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, an Eastern Shore Republican.
“I would call on Congress to pass a law banning gerrymandering and banning mid-cycle changes. I also live in reality. I know Congress has no intention of doing this because Congress hardly has any intention of doing anything at this point,” Moore said. “I cannot, and none of us can, just sit on our hands.”
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