Ex-MLB Star Johnny Damon: Team Was Scared To Go Out in Baltimore
President Donald Trump has come under heavy fire in recent weeks for referring to Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings’ Maryland district, which encompasses parts of Baltimore, as a “very dangerous & filthy place.”
Now, a former Major League Baseball player with plenty of visits to the city under his belt is backing the president up.
….As proven last week during a Congressional tour, the Border is clean, efficient & well run, just very crowded. Cumming 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
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 27, 2019
Johnny Damon, an 18-year MLB veteran and two-time World Series champion, told TMZ this week that the president’s “not wrong.”
Damon noted that though the city was a pleasant destination during his earlier years in the league, it declined near the end of his career.
“Baltimore was one of the best places to visit when I broke into the league in ’95,” he said.
“And, at the end, we didn’t really, like, enjoy going back.”
“Towards the end, it started getting a little scarier,” he added.
Watch below:
Damon has supported Trump for years, according to TMZ.
While the former outfielder didn’t necessarily condone Trump’s “choices of words,” he said the tweets could prove helpful to the city.
Many on the left have condemned the president’s remarks as needlessly divisive.
But Damon sees hope in Trump’s comments.
“This is raising awareness and hopefully they can go in and spend the hard tax-paying dollars to actually make a difference,” Damon said.
Trump, for his part, seems to agree with Damon.
Speaking at the White House on Thursday, Trump suggested his comments may help make a difference in Baltimore.
“The people of Baltimore, they really appreciate what I’m doing,” he said, according to The Baltimore Sun.
Despite criticizing the city, Damon acknowledges that Baltimore is far from irredeemable.
“I think Baltimore is a great town,” he said.
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