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In a tweet on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “I gave Wes Moore a lot of money to fix his demolished bridge. I will now have to rethink that decision.” He also called Baltimore “out of control” and “crime ridden,” and threatened to send the military into the city to “clean up” crime.
The dispute between Trump and Moore began after Trump characterized Baltimore as overrun by crime, while Moore criticized the police and military crackdown in Washington. In an August 21 letter, Moore invited Trump to a public safety walk in September to discuss effective public safety policies.
Baltimore has experienced significant drops in homicide rates—40% from 2019 to 2024—and auto theft is down by 34%, according to recent police data. Despite this, Trump repeatedly threatened to withhold federal funds from Democratic-run cities and states during his second term.
On August 22, a federal judge blocked Trump’s attempt to withhold funding from dozens of sanctuary cities, including Baltimore and Los Angeles. The new Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore is not expected to be completed until 2028 and could cost up to $1.9 billion.
