CNN Anchor Victor Blackwell Breaks Down On Camera After Trump Attack On His Home District
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CNN anchor Victor Blackwell grew emotional on camera today as he defended his hometown district from President Trump’s characterization of it as “a disgusting, rat and rodent-infested mess.”
Blackwell took issue with the use of the word “infested,” saying the people in the district got up and went to work every morning, loved their children, and saluted the flag. He said Trump’s use of the word “infested” to describe the district was a tactic he seems to use only when talking about black and brown people.
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Blackwell said he lived in the district from the time he was brought home from the hospital until he left for college. “There are challenges, no doubt. But people are proud of their community.”
Trump on Saturday said via Twitter that Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland) was a “brutal bully” for his cross examination of border patrol officials at committee hearings over conditions at the southern border. Trump said Cummings own home district was “far worse and more dangerous.”
Cummings, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, yelled at acting Homeland Security chief Kevin McAleenan after he said the department was doing its “level best.”
“What does that mean?,” Cummings thundered. “What does that mean when a child is sitting in their own feces, can’t take a shower? Come on man. What’s that about? None of us would have our children in that position. They are human beings.” Cummings also accused the department of an “empathy deficit.”
The remarks angered McAllenan, and today Trump took up in his defense on Twitter.
“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,” he tweeted.
“Cumming[‘s] District is a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess. If he spent more time in Baltimore, maybe he could help clean up this very dangerous & filthy place,” Trump said, then called for an investigation into why Baltimore received so much federal funding.
“Why is so much money sent to the Elijah Cummings district when it is considered the worst run and most dangerous anywhere in the United States. No human being would want to live there. Where is all this money going? How much is stolen? Investigate this corrupt mess immediately!”
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