Trump does not care about Baltimore. How many times has he taken the 40-mile trip since he has been President? Zero. How many times ahs he visited his Golf Club in Virginia? 63 times. Unbiased Republicans agree: Conservative talk show host Ben Shapiro said that Trump's comments were "bad for the country"; Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said Trump's attacks were "outrageous and inappropriate"; former RNC chairman Michael Steele called Trump's comments "reprehensible."
No, Trump's attacks on Baltimore are purely about ducking accountability for his own misdeeds by way of ginning up racial animosity. It is no coincidence that on the heels of Representative Cummings investigating Trump's ethical lapses, Trump levies racist attacks against Cummings and, separately, a primarily black city. And while Baltimore of course has its share of problems, pinning them on the backs of the man who has done more to bring success to Baltimore residents (Cummings' district claims the second-highest median income among majority black districts and is in the 61st percentile nationwide in median household income) castrates any claim that Trump actually cares about accountability.
And to those that say Trump is doing this for the black community, have you bothered asking African Americans what they actually think? This week's Quinnipiac poll shows that only 6 percent of African Americans approve of Trump. 80% say he is a racist. Trump's playbook is a single page: when a minority levies legitimate criticism, discredit with an old racist trope.
Rather than address the substance of what President Trump said, the left is attacking the President's character. The argument seems to go that, because Trump has criticized Baltimore's leaders - many of whom happen to be black - for fostering a failing city overrun with violent criminals - many of whom also happen to be black - that Trump must be a racist. According to this logic, Trump is incapable of leveling any criticism against any institution where the some of those at fault are not of Trump's race. Remind me how this is progressive thought?
While the unnecessary Trump bashing is obnoxious (although expected), the true losers are those that are forgotten in this debate: the victims of Baltimore's failed leaders - most of whom happen to be black - who Trump is actually trying to help (e.g., lowest black unemployment rate in history). Let's not forget that Bernie Sanders called Baltimore a "Third World country" and a "disgrace" in 2015. Were those comments also racist?
Last year, Baltimore had the highest murder rate and ranked second for violent crime. We should all agree that this represents a horrific failing on the part of Baltimore's leaders. Attacking those that attempt to bring accountability is not just unproductive, it is wrong.
It's not always about race fellas.
Fawksian Delight