Overview

• Speaking from the Oval Office on Monday, the president called Baltimore a “horrible deathbed,” repeated threats to send troops to the city, and said he may reconsider funding for the Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuild.
• Trump asserted that Moore told him at last year’s Army–Navy game that he was “the greatest president of my lifetime,” a claim Moore rejected as untrue, with video of the encounter not showing such a statement.
• Moore renewed his invitation for the president to visit Baltimore for a public safety walk and pointed to falling violence, citing mayoral data showing homicides down about 24% and fatal shootings down about 18% year over year through Aug. 1.
• The confrontation follows the administration’s deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., which Moore criticized as “deeply dangerous” as Trump signals potential expansions to other cities.
• Trump also questioned Moore’s Bronze Star, while reporting notes Moore received the medal in 2024 after earlier paperwork issues, and coverage underscores that Key Bridge funding was authorized by Congress rather than personally granted by the president.