Overview

• Speaking from the Oval Office on Monday, President Trump labeled Baltimore a "horrible deathbed," repeated threats to send the National Guard to the city, and suggested reconsidering federal money for rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
• Gov. Wes Moore rejected federalization, said he will not authorize the Maryland National Guard for non‑mission‑critical use, and highlighted steep declines in Baltimore homicides this year based on city data.
• Trump claimed Moore privately called him "the greatest president" at the Army–Navy game, a description Moore dismissed as an "imaginary conversation," with broadcast footage reviewed on Fox failing to show such praise.
• The Baltimore threats follow earlier deployments of federal forces in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, and on Tuesday Trump asserted he can send troops to blue cities without governors’ consent, saying, "I have the right to do anything I want to do."
• The feud is elevating Moore’s national profile as Democrats rally against city takeovers, with figures like Rep. Jamie Raskin criticizing the push and analysts casting the clashes as early positioning for the 2028 field.