Anyone who thought that the culture of political debate in the US could not sink even further under President Donald Trump will now be taught better. With Trump’s attacks on the city of Baltimore and the African-American Congressman Elijah Cummings, it has hit a new low.
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Trump, who over the weekend accused Cummings of not caring enough about his “disgusting, rat-infested” constituency in the east coast city of Baltimore, is apparently intent on fueling the dispute with his political opponents. The upcoming election campaign, that much is certain, will be dirty – and it has not even started properly.
As with the attacks against four young politicians around MP Ilhan Omar a good two weeks ago, Trump always sets the tone: In a total of a dozen Twitter messages, he attacked Cummings directly several times. The president described his hometown Baltimore as a place “where no human being” wants to live – “very dangerous and disgusting”.
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Why Baltimore?
In attacking Cummings, Trump follows a typical pattern: he tries to piss off a political opponent. At the same time, he stirs up resentment that many of his voters – outside of Baltimore – still harbor against African Americans, but also against large cities on the coasts in general.
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You have to know: Trump is hardly elected in Baltimore. Politically, he is completely indifferent to the city and the surrounding state of Maryland. Like many liberal, urban areas on the east and west coasts, they are Democratic strongholds. The presidential candidate Kamala Harris has set up her headquarters in Baltimore. Cummings’ constituency is 53 percent inhabited by African Americans, who are among the most important Democratic constituencies.
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Baltimore has struggled with a high crime rate for years, the homicide rate is among the highest in the USA. On the one hand. On the other hand, the city is trying to attract new companies and polish up its image. In recent years, new districts with modern apartments, museums and hotels have emerged at the port, there is one of the best university hospitals in the country and a young, modern art scene.
Cummings himself has been a member of the House of Representatives for 23 years and is considered one of Trump’s harshest critics. He has repeatedly criticized the government’s policy in dealing with refugees on the border with Mexico. He chaired the hearing of Trump’s former attorney and “fixer” Michael Cohen, and he didn’t make headlines until last week when he asked the government to release emails from Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and President’s daughter Ivanka.
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Horror, but also encouragement
Once again, Trump is dividing the country with his failures. Quite a few Democrats and liberal media outlets responded to Trump’s tweets with a mixture of revulsion and indignation. The statements of the president were “disgusting and racist,” said Cummings party friend Jerrold Nadler, also a member of Congress. The local newspaper “Baltimore Sun” went so far in its outrage over Trump’s attacks against the city as to compare Trump himself with vermin: “Better to have a vermin in the neighborhood than to be one yourself,” commented the paper angrily.
Meanwhile, Trump supporters and leading Republicans made mood for their president. Trump’s chief of staff in the White House, Mick Mulvaney, vehemently defended the boss. What Trump says about the conditions in Baltimore is completely justified. “It has absolutely nothing to do with the issue of racism,” said Mulvaney.
The attacks follow a plan
Trump himself also rejected the racism accusation: “The Democrats always play the racism card, and they have done so little for our great African American people.”
Trump’s attacks are likely to continue to play an important role this week: On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Democratic presidential candidates will compete in Detroit for the second major TV duel. With his remarks on Baltimore, Trump ensures that he is setting an important topic there one way or another.
As with his attacks against the four young women politicians of the Democrats, Trump is obviously calculating on mobilizing his supporters in this way. He hopes his harsh rhetoric will be well received by many white, uneducated voters in key states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
If he wins these three states again – alongside the usual Republican strongholds in the south – his re-election in 2020 would be guaranteed. It is well known that in the US electoral system it does not count who has the most votes overall. It’s all about winning as many states as possible in order to then have a majority in the electoral body that determines the president.
No matter how many indignant citizens in Baltimore and Maryland can vote against Trump. This makes no difference.
Note: An earlier version of the article stated that Elijah Cummings had been a member of the House of Representatives for 36 years. In fact, he moved into the House of Representatives in 1996.
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