Update (July 28, 2019): Baltimore has officially rallied behind Rep. Elijah Cummings after facing vicious ridicule from President Donald Trump. Just days after the commander-in-chief attacked the Maryland congressman and his city on Twitter, several politicians, organizations and Baltimore natives stepped forward to clap back.

CNN anchor Victor Blackwell, who was born and raised in Baltimore, defended his hometown on Saturday morning, laying out several instances in which Trump has unjustly attacked politicians of color and used the term “infested.”

In the final moments of his segment, Blackwell became emotional as he talked about his beloved city: “The president says about Congressman Cummings’ district that no human would want to live there. You know who did, Mr. President? I did.”

Admitting that the odds are stacked against Baltimore, Blackwell said, “I don’t want to sound self-righteous, but people get up and go to work there. They care for their families there. They love their children who pledge allegiance to the flag just like people who live in districts of congressmen who support you, sir. They are Americans too.”

Hours after Trump’s Twitter rant against Cummings, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hopped on social media to vouch for the Maryland leader.

“@RepCummings is a champion in the Congress and the county for civil rights and economic justice,” she tweeted. “We all reject racist attacks against him and support his steadfast leadership. #ElijahCummingsIsAPatriot”

In a bold move, Baltimore’s largest general-circulation daily newspaper, The Baltimore Sun, published a scathing response to the 45th president, reminding him that he has just as much responsibility for the city’s condition as Cummings.

“If there are problems here, rodents included, they are as much his responsibility as anyone’s, perhaps more because he holds the most powerful office in the land,” the editors wrote. 

The op-ed also included Trump’s obsession with attacking congress members of color.

“Mr. Trump sees attacking African American members of Congress as good politics, as it both warms the cockles of the white supremacists who love him.”

While Trump’s top aides refute claims that the president’s criticism of Cummings and other congress members is rooted in racism, the House Oversight Committee chair came forward to address the president’s comments head-on:

“Mr. President, I go home to my district daily. Each morning, I wake up , and I go and fight for my neighbors. It is my constitutional duty to conduct oversight of the Executive Branch. But, it is my moral duty to fight for my constituents.”

Original: Weeks following his criticism of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and abysmal treatment of migrant minors at border facilities, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland is the latest target of the commander-in-chief’s regular Twitter rants.

Early Saturday morning, the president unleashed a series of salty tweets, coming after the Maryland congressman and dubbing him “a brutal bully.” USA Today reports, Trump tweeted, Cummings’ Baltimore district is “far worse” than the southern border.

During a news conference in early July, Cummings gutted the president and his decision to overlook “government-sponsored child abuse” at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to The Hill.

“We have seen cases where the administration has deported parents without their children and still, to this day, have not reunited those families,” he said during the press conference. “They say they have all the supplies they need, and they say that all of the allegations of mistreatment are — and I quote — `unsubstantiated.' We will not be blinded by what we see.”

Even more recently, Cummings, who is the House Oversight Committee chairman, strongly chastised Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan during a hearing for the inhumane conditions of the border facilities. 

“You feel like you’re doing a great job, right? What does that mean? What does that mean? When a child is sitting in their own feces, can’t take a shower?”

A report from the Department of Homeland Security found that the detention centers are extremely overcrowded and both adults and children are detained at the facilities for a prolonged period. 

Cummings has also led an effort to expose the Trump administration and its aides’ use of personal email and text applications to discuss official business. The House Oversight and Reform Committee recently approved the Maryland representative to subpoena the White House for records to investigate the matter. 

As of this report, Cummings has not responded to Trump’s Twitter tirade.

Donald trumpElijah Cummings