In his latest man-on-the-street video, filmmaker Ami Horowitz played another round of “America’s favorite game: Who Said What?” — this time focused on “racist” comments about Baltimore, the city President Trump singled out repeatedly last week in his battle with Democratic Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings.
In the video, Horowitz asks people who aren’t fans of Trump to identify the person they believe was behind various quotes slamming Baltimore, offering them three options: President Trump, former Democratic Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh (who resigned this year amid mounting pressure over a book deal scandal), and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
To get things warmed up, Horowitz starts with the most famous (and recent) of the quotes: Baltimore is a “disgusting, rat and rodent-infested mess.”
The first “contestant” answers correctly that that “racist” quote was stated by none other than the original Baltimore-hater himself, Donald Trump.
But the second quote throws the next participant for a loop. “You can smell the rats from here,” Horowitz reads. The woman guesses Trump, only to learn that it was in fact the African American former mayor of Baltimore who offered that rather damning comment — and long before Trump took aim at the Democrat-controlled city.
Next quote: “What the hell? We should take all this sh** down.”
“That’s gotta be Trump,” says a dude whose made great progress growing a Gandalf beard. Unfortunately, again, it turns out that it was actually Mayor Pugh’s suggestion to tear down part of the city back in 2018 because it was so dilapidated.
Next quote: “You would think we’re in a third world country.” That quote sparks a debate between a hat and glass-wearing guy and girl, the guy insisting Bernie doesn’t use the term “third world” anymore, as it’s now politically incorrect. But, it turns out that, yes, it was Bernie, who offered the brutal critique back in 2015.
The contestants don’t always get things wrong, but they generally err on the side of blaming Trump.
WATCH:
The controvery over Baltimore began when Trump issued a series of tweets blasting Rep. Cummings, whose district includes the city, for neglecting what he described as a crime-plagued, “rat and rodent infested mess” and said “no human being would want to live there” — comments the Democrats and their allies in the media quickly declared “racist.”
“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,” Trump tweeted last week “His district is considered the Worst in the USA. As proven last week during a Congressional tour, the Border is clean, efficient & well run, just very crowded. 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.”
“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?” Trump added. “Investigate this corrupt mess immediately!”