Baltimore’s Democrat Mayor Brandon Scott is doubling down on gun control — and taking direct aim at President Donald Trump — in a move that’s sparking outrage among Second Amendment supporters nationwide.
Just days after the White House deployed National Guard troops to help restore order in crime-ravaged Washington, D.C., Scott went on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper to call for a nationwide ban on America’s most popular rifle.
“The president could say that no one should be able to walk into a store and buy an AR-15,” Scott declared. “He could join mayors around the country in banning Glock switches that turn firearms into automatic weapons.”
Scott touted his record of removing 2,500 guns from Baltimore’s streets and pouring tax dollars into “violence prevention programs” — despite the city still being one of the most dangerous in America.
President Trump, however, has made no apologies for calling out Baltimore and other failing Democrat-run cities. In a press conference announcing the D.C. troop deployment, Trump warned:
“This is a threat to America. You look at Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore, Oakland — all run by Democrats, all failing their citizens.”
Scott, who is among a group of Black Democrat mayors leading America’s most crime-plagued cities, fired back by accusing Trump of “dog-whistling” and spreading “racist propaganda.”
The White House hit back hard.
“Baltimore’s mayor has no business criticizing President Trump’s decisive action to Make D.C. Safe Again,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said. “Baltimore has one of the highest crime rates in the country. Democrat-run cities should fix their streets before lecturing the president.”
Political analysts say Trump’s blunt approach may be strategic — forcing Democrats to deny the obvious crime crisis in America’s urban centers, a stance voters can see with their own eyes is out of touch with reality.
With Democrats calling for new gun bans and Trump standing firm on defending the Second Amendment, the stage is set for a major 2025 political showdown.