Baltimore has once again found itself at the center of a national political storm, as President Donald Trump and Maryland Governor Wes Moore spar publicly over crime, public safety, and the city’s reputation. Their war of words, which erupted during a cabinet meeting on August 26, 2025, has spilled across social media, news broadcasts, and even into the halls of Congress, reflecting the deepening divisions between federal and state leadership over how to tackle urban challenges.
The latest round began when President Trump, speaking before his cabinet, sharply criticized Baltimore, calling it a “hellhole” and a “deathbed.” According to Fox News and U.S. News, Trump asserted, “Baltimore is a horrible, horrible deathbed… it’s a deathbed,” and questioned Governor Moore’s ability to address the city’s crime issues. The president recounted a previous interaction with Moore at the Army-Navy football game in December 2024, claiming Moore had called him “the greatest president of [his] lifetime.” Moore, for his part, swiftly denied ever making such a statement, responding with a mocking “lol” and the retort, “Keep telling yourself that, Mr. President,” on social media.
The video of their Army-Navy game encounter, highlighted in Fox Nation’s "The Art of the Surge," shows a cordial moment. Moore greeted Trump, saying, “Welcome back to Maryland, sir. It’s good to see you… it’s great to have you back here,” and discussed pressing issues like the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March 2024. Yet, no evidence supports Trump’s claim of being called the “greatest president.” The warmth of that December exchange has since evaporated, replaced by pointed barbs and political posturing.
The feud intensified when Moore, in an August 21, 2025 letter, invited Trump to participate in a public safety walk in Baltimore scheduled for September. Moore framed the invitation as an opportunity to “discuss strategies for effective public safety policy.” Trump, however, dismissed the offer both in the cabinet meeting and on Truth Social, saying, “As President, I would much prefer that he clean up this crime disaster before I go there for a walk.” He added that Moore’s invitation had a “derogatory tone.”
Moore’s office, responding to Fox News Digital, doubled down on the invitation and highlighted what they consider real progress: “This is a President who would rather attack his country’s largest cities from behind a desk than walk the streets with the people he represents. The President should join us in Baltimore because the blissful ignorance, tropes, and the 1980s scare tactics benefit no one. We need leaders who are there helping the people who are actually on the ground doing the work.”
Indeed, Moore has made crime reduction a centerpiece of his administration. In a recent CBS “Face the Nation” appearance, he touted that Baltimore’s homicide rate is at its lowest level in 50 years, with a more than 20% drop in statewide violent crime since he took office in 2023. “The last time the homicide rate was this low in Baltimore City, I was not born yet,” Moore told CBS, while accusing Trump of relying on “1980s scare tactics” and “blissful ignorance.”
Yet, Trump and his supporters point to national crime statistics that continue to paint Baltimore in a negative light. According to U.S. News and World Report, the city still ranks among the nation’s highest for violent crime and murders, coming in as the fourth worst in the country. Trump’s rhetoric about Baltimore mirrors his broader campaign strategy of targeting Democratic-run cities as crime hotspots, and he’s threatened to expand National Guard deployments to cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, on top of the recent deployment in Washington, D.C. Trump claimed on Truth Social that his D.C. deployment resulted in “no crime and no murder” after one week, though local officials have not corroborated this claim.
Moore, along with other Democratic leaders, has criticized the use of National Guard troops for municipal policing, calling the approach unsustainable and a misuse of the Guard’s training. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott has also rejected the idea of National Guard deployment in the city but has called for more federal law enforcement support, including additional agents for the ATF, DEA, and FBI. Scott pointed to police data showing a 17% drop in violent crime in Baltimore this year, emphasizing, “Baltimore is experiencing its safest period in decades.”
The debate over crime is not the only flashpoint. Trump recently suggested he might reconsider federal funding for rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed in March 2024 after a cargo ship collision that killed six people. Although Congress approved the funds in December 2024, Trump posted on Truth Social, “I gave Wes Moore a lot of money to fix his demolished bridge. I will now have to rethink that decision???” However, legal experts note that the president cannot unilaterally freeze congressionally appropriated funds, making the threat more rhetorical than actionable.
The rhetoric has grown increasingly personal. Moore, Maryland’s first Black governor and a rising Democratic star, jabbed at Trump’s military record, referring to him as “President Bone Spurs” and offering to provide a golf cart for any potential visit. Meanwhile, the Maryland Freedom Caucus inflamed tensions by referring to Moore as the “Ghetto Governor” on social media, prompting Democratic leaders to demand an apology for what they described as racist name-calling. The caucus, however, doubled down, further mocking Moore’s invitation to Trump.
Despite the heated exchanges, Moore has remained focused on Baltimore’s progress. In an August 25, 2025 interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” he renewed his call for Trump to visit the city, highlighting efforts to reduce vacant homes and violent crime. “We are seeing a resurgence that it would be great if the president would actually come and spend time and learn about what we are doing,” Moore said.
As the back-and-forth continues, the proposed public safety walk remains in limbo, with neither side indicating when, or if, it will take place. The feud, however, has already become a symbol of the broader political struggle over how to address crime, urban renewal, and the future of America’s cities. For Baltimore, the spotlight is both a challenge and an opportunity—a chance to showcase hard-won progress while confronting the relentless scrutiny of national politics.
