Trump Mocks Democrats in Baltimore Speech

President Trump sought to boost the spirits of Republican lawmakers Thursday, mocking Democrats and promising a new tax cut package as he returned to the city he recently disparaged as a "rat and rodent infested mess." Trump spoke to House Republicans attending an annual retreat in a hotel on Baltimore's waterfront. Protesters gathered nearby. But inside, the president found a friendly audience of legislators whose political futures are closely tied to how well he performs in next year's election. They greeted him with a chant of "four more years." Trump obliquely addressed his earlier insults against Baltimore, promising Republicans would "fight for the future of cities like Baltimore that have been destroyed by decades of failed and corrupt rule," the AP reports.

Trump spoke as Democratic presidential candidates debated in Houston. The audience laughed as he mocked some of his top challengers and claimed that more people would be watching him. "They should be watching the debate but they're probably watching this," Trump said. "I hit Pocahontas way too early," Trump said of Sen. Elizabeth Warren. "I thought she was gone. She's emerged from the ashes and now it looks like she could beat Sleepy Joe, he's falling asleep. He has no idea what the hell he's doing or saying." NBC reports that Trump also mocked "Crazy Bernie" and made fun of the pronunciation of Pete Buttigieg's name, repeatedly saying "Boot-edge-edge."