President Donald Trump and Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD), a rising star within the Democratic Party, traded verbal blows over the weekend.
Moore began the recent feud with pointed criticism of the president for deploying the National Guard to Washington, D.C., calling it “deeply dangerous.”
The former Army captain invited the president last week to take a “public safety” walk in Baltimore to show the city’s progress. Trump responded that Moore should clean up his city before he takes the walk.
“I assume he is talking about out of control, crime ridden, Baltimore? As President, I would much prefer that he clean up this Crime disaster before I go there for a ‘walk,’” he wrote on social media. He then threatened to pull funding for the Francis Scott Key Bridge reconstruction and said he would send in the National Guard there as well.
Moore posted several responses to the president on Sunday, criticizing him for his Vietnam War draft deferment for bone spurs, the Epstein files, and his “obsession” with Moore.
“Donald Trump can stay obsessed with me — that’s fine — but I’ll stay obsessed with working in partnership to continue our historic success of driving down crime in Baltimore,” he posted on social media.
The blue-state governor mocked Trump as he praised his administration’s reduction of crime in Baltimore.
“President Bone Spurs will do anything to get out of walking — even if that means spouting off more lies about the progress we’re making on public safety in Maryland,” he posted on social media.
He added that the president was distracting the public from the Epstein files, of which the MAGA base severely criticized the Trump administration’s handling.
Trump also asked if Moore had “lied about getting a Bronze Star.” The statement refers to the controversy the governor faced when he claimed to have received a Bronze Star that he never formally collected in a White House application. He said that claiming the honorable award was an “honest mistake.”
Moore received a Bronze Star for his service in late 2024.
The Maryland governor, with his publicized Trump criticism, could be trying to stand out from a long lineup of Democrats looking to lead the party in 2028. Democratic donor and actor George Clooney favors Moore for 2028, calling him a “proper leader.”
Moore has served in political office since January 2023, when he was sworn in as Maryland’s governor to succeed former Gov. Larry Hogan. The 46-year-old Maryland Democrat is a veteran and Rhodes scholar.
He also rose to prominence during the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in 2024, during which he was praised for his leadership in advocating federal funding that covered the costs of the repairs.
Moore is one of several Democratic governors in 2028 presidential contention, including Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA). Newsom has launched a redistricting effort in California to match Texas Republicans’ plan.
Moore said he’s looking to match other Democrats in fighting back. But the Democrat will have only one House seat, Republican Rep. Andy Harris’s, in Maryland to tinker with.
TRUMP RIPS WES MOORE ON BALTIMORE CRIME, THREATENS TO DEPLOY GUARD AND PULL BRIDGE COLLAPSE FUNDS
“Yes, and I think we have to because I think what’s happened is this is what people hate about politics in the first place,” Moore said when asked if he has considered “actively looking” at redistricting in Maryland.
Redrawing the state’s lines could be Moore’s next step in increasing the number of Democratic seats in the House and doing his part in fighting the president.