Donald Trump launched an astonishing tirade at a leading black congressman on Saturday, calling him a "brutal bully" and the
Maryland district he represents a "rodent infested mess". The president's attack against Rep. Elijah Cummings seemed centred on what he perceived to be hypocrisy from the congressman over his criticism of poor conditions at migrant detention centres. But his
Twitter storm then took on a more personal approach in an apparent parroting of a 'Fox & Friends' segment that had aired earlier. Speaker
Nancy Pelosi called his comments racist. "Rep, Elijah Cummings has been a brutal bully, shouting and screaming... about conditions at the Southern Border when actually his Baltimore district is FAR WORSE," Mr Trump tweeted. "Cumming 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," he added in a subsequent post. .@RepCummings is a champion in the
Congress and the country for civil rights and economic justice, a beloved leader in Baltimore, and deeply valued colleague. We all reject racist attacks against him and support his steadfast leadership. ElijahCummingsIsAPatriothttps://t.co/2LG8AuQrHh— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) July 27, 2019 The president's remarks drew a measured response from Rep. Cummings who said he believed he was a good representative and considered it a "moral duty" to "fight for his constituents". On Sunday Mr Trump continued his attack, saying there was "nothing wrong" with pointing out that Mr Cummings had done a "very poor job" and that Ms Pelosi's own San Francisco disrtict was "unrecognisable". Mr Trump's latest tweets aimed at a black member of Congress could revive the criticism that came after he told four
Democratic congresswomen of colour to "go back" to their home countries. That racist outburst generated widespread anger among
Democrats and some
Republicans, leading the House to pass a resolution condemning his remarks. Possible impeachment was also floated. Ms Pelosi, who quickly came to the defense of the four Democratic congresswomen after the president's "go back" tweets, was similarly emphatic on Saturday in her support for Rep. Cummings. "We all reject racist attacks against him and support his steadfast leadership," said Ms Pelosi, a Baltimore native whose father was Mayor, as she hailed Rep. Cummings as a "champion in the Congress". Mr Trump's attack on Twitter came shortly after 'Fox & Friends' aired a segment criticising Rep. Cummings for focusing more on migrants than his own constituents in Baltimore, Maryland. The segment featured video footage of boarded-up houses and rubbish-strewn areas of Baltimore, as the Fox television host said living conditions at the detention centres were better than in the city. Mr Trump's attacks seemed to parrot a segment from 'Fox & Friends' Credit: Getty Images Baltimore has certainly struggled with high levels of crime in recent years, recording more murders in 2017 than similar-sized cities, including
New York City, which is substantially larger. The video was shot by Kimberly Klacik, a black
Republican strategist from Baltimore, who said her point was not a race issue but Rep. Cummings "could help get his district in order". But the president later appeared to show a different motivation for his Twitter assault, when he complained the congressman "spends all his time trying to hurt innocent people through 'Oversight'". The congressman leads the House Oversight Committee, and on Thursday, the panel voted to authorise subpoenas to senior
White House officials' communications - a move that rankled Mr Trump. Rep. Cummings has also been one of the president's most persistent critics in Congress. In a recent hearing, he criticised the Trump administration's policy over the US-Mexico border. Mr Trump has developed a history of describing predominantly black areas or African nations through denigrating terms such as "filthy", from the time of his 2016
election campaign. Despite his increasing use of racist tropes, the president has denied accusations of
racism, pointing to low unemployment among black and Hispanic populations during his presidency.