Ravens coach says Trump, Cummings should ‘work together’ after trading barbs on Baltimore

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said Monday that President Trump and Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings (Md.) should “get together and work together” to address issues in Baltimore after trading barbs about the city in recent days.

“Our prayer … is that the politicians to get together and work together,” Harbaugh told reporters. “Can you imagine how powerful it would be if the two sides of the aisle, two guys like those two wonderful people got together and solved some problems and found ways to make things better? I think that’s what we’re all rooting for.”

He added: “I think all big cities have challenges and problems. Baltimore is not unique here.”

Harbaugh’s comments come after Trump spent the weekend attacking Cummings, the well-respected chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, tweeting Saturday that the lawmaker is a “brutal bully” and claiming the 13-term congressman’s Baltimore district is “far worse” and “more dangerous” than the southern border — a place where “no human being” would want to live.{mosads}

“His district is considered the Worst in the USA as proven last week during a Congressional tour, the Border is clean, efficient & well run, just very crowded,” Trump tweeted. “Cumming [sic] District is a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess. If he spent more time in Baltimore, maybe he could help clean up this very dangerous & filthy place.”

Trump later called Cummings a “racist” and deriding his “radical ‘oversight’” as a “joke.”

Cummings rejected the president’s criticisms, urged him to work on a bipartisan basis.

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

Democrats have rallied around Cummings and denounced Trump’s attacks as racist, which Trump denies, and city and state officials, including GOP Gov. Larry Hogan and Baltimore Mayor Bernard “Jack” Young (D) — have stood by the Maryland congressman in the face of Trump’s comments.

“My wife, my daughter and me — we love Baltimore,” Harbaugh said. “And more than Baltimore, we love the people in Baltimore … we’ve felt nothing but love for the last 11 years.”