BALTIMORE (WMAR) — President Donald Trump's recent Twitter attacks have brought the national focus to Baltimore once again. They have not just been directed at Charm City, but at Maryland's 7th District and Rep. Elijah Cummings. He said Cummings' district is considered the worst in the USA, calling it a disgusting and rat infested mess.
"No human being would want to live there," said Trump in a tweet.
Rep, Elijah Cummings has been a brutal bully, shouting and screaming at the great men & women of Border Patrol about conditions at the Southern Border, when actually his Baltimore district is FAR WORSE and more dangerous. His district is considered the Worst in the USA......
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 27, 2019
"There's a certain irony in having a president attack a city for conditions that his own son-in-law directly and indirectly contributed towards," said Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr.
Olszewski said since 2017, Kushner Cos.-owned apartments in Baltimore County have had more than 200 code violations for livability issues like mold, leaks and rats.
"We had threatened both significant fines, as well as the withholding of federal payments to ensure there was compliance in having apartments be livable," said Olszewski.
MORE:Baltimoreans defend Charm City after Trump tweets
In the 7th district is parts of rural Baltimore County, where two Kushner-owned properties are. It also includes most of Howard County.
According to the 2017 census, it is home to 718,158 people and is majority female, 53 percent African American, 36 percent White and 7 percent Asian, with an average household income of $90,000 while 16 percent of people were living below the poverty level in 2017.
It includes the most crime-ridden parts of Baltimore, both East and West, with lots of boarded up homes. But it's also home to the inner harbor, Druid Hill Park and the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins hospitals, as well as Maryland's first Black Arts and Entertainment District on Pennsylvania Avenue, which will bring in more funding to revitalize the historical neighborhood.
"There's incredible things happening across the Baltimore region that we want people to know about and sure, like any community, there are challenges out there, but I think rather than be destructive and go after personal assassination and attack an American city and an American region, we're much better when we come together and find solutions," said Olszewski.
MORE: President Trump returns to Twitter to defend Saturday's tweets and says Cummings has "failed badly!"
Olszewski and Baltimore City Council President Brandon Scott have both said they would welcome help from President Trump to move the city forward. In one of Trump's latest tweets, he said Baltimore can be brought back, and when city leaders want his help, he is waiting in the oval office for their call.
Crazy Bernie Sanders recently equated the City of Baltimore to a THIRD WORLD COUNTRY! 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! The fact is, Baltimore can be brought back, maybe......
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2019
