Baltimore Turns ‘Resistant’ – Orders Commander in Chief to Stay Away

As much of the nation begins to eye a return to quasi-normalcy, there has been a vast debate over just what constitutes “safe” these days.  We are still in the midst of an invisible killer called COVID-19, but experts seem to be in agreement that our strict social distancing is working.

For some cities and states, this has led to a metered reopening over the course of the last few weeks.  For other locales, however, there is still cautious trepidation about how precisely to proceed.

In Baltimore, Maryland, city officials are still very much concerned about the possibility that residents are engaging in unnecessary travel – which has somehow morphed into an absurd situation in which the city’s mayor attempting to tell the President of The United States what to do.

The mayor of Baltimore is asking President Donald Trump to stay home ahead of a planned trip to Fort McHenry for Memorial Day, calling it “not a smart thing to do” as the city remains on lockdown over the coronavirus.

“That President Trump is deciding to pursue non-essential travel sends the wrong message to our residents, many of whom have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 virus,” Mayor Bernard “Jack” Young said in a statement Thursday.

Trump is scheduled on Monday to visit the city’s Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, which has been closed to all visitors since late March due to the coronavirus. While Maryland began phasing out its statewide “stay-at-home” order last week, the city of Baltimore’s is still in place. Young told CNN on Friday he got no heads-up about Trump’s visit.

“Dear Mr. President @realDonaldTrump, please stay home!” Young said on Twitter Thursday.

The White House shot back almost immediately.

Young urged the president to honor the sacrifices of military personnel from Washington instead. A spokesperson for the White House, Judd Deere, said in a statement that Trump will not stay home.

“The brave men and women who have preserved our freedoms for generations did not stay home and the President will not either as he honors their sacrifice by visiting such a historic landmark in our Nation’s history,” Deere said.

This isn’t the first time that Trump has been in a tiff with Baltimore, having once insinuated that the city was infested with rodents during a prolonged feud with late Congressman Elijah Cummings.