Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) hit back at President Trump on Thursday in another tit for tat over Trump’s recent efforts to crack down on crime in Washington, D.C., deploying the National Guard and asserting command over local police.
“I don’t listen to criticism from chicken hawks, people who talk tough and try to utilize people in uniform but have never had the courage to wear the uniform themselves,” Moore told radio station WTOP.
Moore, an Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, has leaned on his military background in criticizing the president’s deployment of troops to the nation’s capital.
“This decision is being made by people who, frankly, have never worn the uniform themselves,” he said on CNN earlier this week. “There’s a lack of seriousness that is going to the decisionmaking process about what you are doing and how you are impacting the lives of these men and women and their families.”
Moore’s criticisms caught the attention of Trump, who mocked the governor Thursday from the Oval Office.
“They say maybe he’ll be a president — he’s not presidential temper at all,” Trump said of Moore, who is eyeing a run in 2028.
“I heard him today talking about how the National Guard or the military is not trained in police,” the president added. “But they’re trained in common sense, and they’re not allowing people to burn down buildings and bomb buildings and cheat people.”
Trump suggested Monday that he could bring his takeover efforts to other Democratic-led cities, including Baltimore, and many have seen his moves in D.C. as a test case.
The president attempted to assert his power in Los Angeles earlier this summer when he seized control of the state’s National Guard to quell protests over immigration enforcement. A judge is currently weighing the legality of bypassing the governor, who typically commands a state’s National Guard reserves.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
