Trump threatens to send troops to Baltimore to 'quickly clean up crime'

Through a post on the social network Truth on Sunday, President Donald Trump threatened to send troops to Baltimore to "quickly clean up crime," replicating the strategy applied recently in the nation's capital, Washington, D.C.

“But if Wes Moore needs help, like Gavin Newscum did in L.A., I will send in the ‘troops,’ which is being done in nearby DC, and quickly clean up the Crime,” the president said, using the post to mock California Gov. Gavin Newsom and challenge Maryland's Democratic governor.

The threat comes after Trump ordered the deployment of more than 2,000 National Guard troops to the capital, a move touted by the White House as an effort to combat crime.

However, the move has generated much criticism against the administration, especially from Democrats, who question the use of the military to combat violence as an overreach by the federal government.

Moore responds to Trump

Governor Moore was quick to respond to the Republican president. In a statement, he claimed that Trump “would rather attack his country’s largest cities from behind a desk than walk the streets with the people he represents.”

Later, Moore said President Trump "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," he added.

Prior to that statement, Moore had already criticized Trump last Friday in an appearance on CNN, claiming that comments coming from the White House are "insensitive" and unproductive in fighting crime.

“It’s because they have not walked our streets,” Moore said. “They have not been in our communities, and they’re more than happy of just making these repeated tropes about us, but not actually working with us to be able to make sure that our streets are safe and that people can have a real opportunity to feel safe in their own neighborhoods.”

Trump criticized those statements Sunday.

“As President, I would much prefer that he clean up this Crime disaster before I go there for a ‘walk,’” Trump said, calling on the governor to clean up the crime.

According to Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, homicides have dropped 24% so far this year versus the same period in 2024. In addition, non-fatal shootings are also down 18% in the current year.