Maryland’s Moore Responds to Trump’s Attacks: ‘I Pray for Him’

Maryland Governor Wes Moore addressed President Trump's recent criticisms during an interview in Washington, saying he feels sorry for the president. Moore discussed Trump's decision to exclude him from a White House dinner and blame him for a D.C. sewage spill that occurred on federal property.

WASHINGTON — Maryland Governor Wes Moore finds himself repeatedly in President Donald Trump’s crosshairs, but the Democratic leader says he harbors no ill will toward the commander-in-chief.

Trump has excluded Moore from an upcoming White House gathering with state leaders from across the political spectrum, declaring the governor “not worthy” of attending. The president has also blamed Moore for a sewage leak contaminating the Potomac River, despite the damaged pipeline being under federal jurisdiction.

Additional friction may arise as Moore, currently the nation’s sole Black governor, pushes to restructure Maryland’s congressional districts to benefit Democrats. This effort is part of a broader national map-drawing fight that Trump initiated to aid Republican prospects in upcoming midterm races.

Speaking with reporters Wednesday during the National Governors Association’s annual Washington conference, Moore addressed the president’s escalating attacks with measured restraint.

Regarding Trump’s blame for the Potomac sewage incident, Moore called the situation almost laughable if it weren’t so serious. “This is a Washington, D.C., pipe that exists on federal land. How this has anything to do with Maryland, I have no idea. I think he just woke up and just said, I hate Maryland so I’m just going to introduce them into a conversation. This literally has nothing to do with us, with the exception of the fact that when we first heard about what happened, that I ordered our team to assist Washington, D.C.,” Moore explained.

When asked whether Trump’s criticism feels personal, Moore took the high road. “I know it’s not for me. I have no desire to have beef with the president of the United States. I didn’t run for governor like, man, I can’t wait so me and the president can go toe to toe. I have no desire on that. But the fact that he is waking up in the middle of the night and tweeting about me, I just, I pray for him and I just feel bad for him because that has just got to be a really, really hard existence,” he said.

The governor, who serves as vice chair of the National Governors Association and is often mentioned as a potential Democratic presidential contender, defended his redistricting efforts as a response to Trump’s actions. “All we’re asking for is a vote. And however the vote goes, however the vote goes. But that’s democracy,” Moore stated after meeting with Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Moore characterized his redistricting push as necessary oversight rather than partisan politics. “I don’t look at it as I’m doing it because I’m trying to help a party per se. I’m doing it because I think we have an unchecked executive and right now Congress does not seem interested in actually doing its job and establishing real checks and balances,” he explained.

He placed responsibility for the current redistricting battles squarely on Trump’s shoulders. “This would not be an issue had it not been for Donald Trump saying, you know what, let me come up with every creative way I can think of to make this pain permanent. And one of the ways he did was he said, let’s just start calling states — the states I choose — to say let’s have a redistricting conversation mid-decade. This would not even be an issue had Donald Trump not brought this up and introduced this into the ecosystem.”

When questioned about Trump’s relationship with Black Americans during Black History Month, Moore pointed to what he sees as a troubling pattern. “Listen, I think the president has long had a very complicated history with the Black community. We’re talking about a person who has been sued from his earliest days from his treatment of Black tenants. We’re talking about a person who is one of the originators of birtherism. We’re talking about a person who has now spent his time trying to ban books about Black history, a person who has spent his time now doing the greatest assault on unemployment of Black women in our nation’s history. You know, so, I’m not sure what anyone is going to gain from an event by Donald Trump about Black history.”

Looking at the broader political landscape, Moore emphasized governors’ crucial role as “the final line of defense” and stressed the importance of remaining true to one’s principles. “You stay consistent with who you are. I think if you’re a polarizing person or polarizing personality, then that’s just who you are. That’s just never been me,” he concluded.