"Trumps Lies and Racism Never End": Sanders Hits Back at Presidents Attacks on Baltimore by Eoin Higgins!
(2019-07-30 at 14:07:37 )

"Trumps Lies and Racism Never End": Sanders Hits Back at Presidents Attacks on Baltimore by Eoin Higgins

"While I have been fighting to lift the people of Baltimore and elsewhere out of poverty with good paying jobs, housing, and healthcare, he has been attacking workers and the poor."

President Donald Trumps weekend attack on the city of Baltimore spilled into Monday with a swipe at Sen. Bernie Sanders that earned the president a rebuke from the Vermont independent.

On Monday, President Trump said via Twitter that because Mr. Sanders had criticized the management of Baltimore in the past, Mr. Sanders should be labeled a racist just as the president was for a barrage of attacks on the city which started Saturday morning.

"Crazy Bernie Sanders recently equated the City of Baltimore to a THIRD WORLD COUNTRY!" tweeted the president. "Based on that statement, I assume that Bernie must now be labeled a Racist, just as a Republican would if he used that term and standard!"

Mr. Sanders, who is running for the Democratic nomination for president to take on Donald Trump in 2020, was quick to reply, drawing a distinction between the presidents racism and the senators efforts to support the working class.

"Trumps lies and racism never end," said Mr. Sanders.

"While I have been fighting to lift the people of Baltimore and elsewhere out of poverty with good paying jobs, housing, and healthcare, he has been attacking workers and the poor."

President Trumps comments on Baltimore began as an attack on Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), the head of the powerful House Oversight and Reform Committee, which has been a thorn in the White Houses side since the Democrats took over the lower chamber.

The presidents tweets on Saturday, which used racist language about Cummings district and Baltimore in general, came after a segment on Fox News program "Fox and Friends" wherein the hosts wrung their hands over conditions in the Maryland city.

The tweets made Trump sound "like a caller to a radio show, not a president," wrote CNNs Brian Stelter.

On Saturday, hours after the presidents attacks on the city, CNN anchor Victor Blackwell gave an impassioned defense of his home city:

The president says about Congressman Cummings district that no human would want to live there.

You know who did, Mr. President? I did, from the day I was brought home from the hospital to the day I left for college. And a lot of people I care about still do. There are challenges, no doubt, but people are proud of their community.

The comments came as part of a longer speech from Blackwell on the city and the presidents tweets.

President Trump on Monday also attacked Rev. Al Sharpton, the New York politico who now hosts a show on MSNBC.

The president referred to a trope that Mr. Sharpton only shows up to fan flames of racial strife, a longtime attack on the reverend from racist New Yorkers.

The president also called Mr. Sharpton a "con man." Mr. Sharpton replied Monday in a tweet that if he were a con man, President Trump "would want me in his cabinet."

In response to President Trumps tweets-including one in which the president referred to Baltimore as "a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess"-city paper The Baltimore Sun laid out an attack which ended in a memorable line:

"Better to have some vermin living in your neighborhood than to be one."

Reprinted here from "Common Dreams" has been providing breaking news & views for the progressive community since 1997. We are independent, non-profit, advertising-free and 100% reader supported.