President Donald Trump said that Maryland Gov. Wes Moore privately praised him as “the greatest president” in his lifetime — a claim Moore quickly mocked.
Speaking from the Oval Office on Monday, Aug. 25, Trump, 79, criticized Baltimore as being on a “horrible death bed” plagued with crime. While recalling the 2024 Army-Navy football game in Landover, Md., the president said he encountered Moore, 46, who allegedly embraced him and offered glowing words of support.
According to Trump, Moore told him: “Sir, you are the greatest president in my lifetime. Sir, you’re doing a fantastic job. I just want to shake your hand.”
Moore, however, wasted no time pushing back. He reposted a video of Trump’s comments with a simple reply: “lol.” A follow-up post read: “Keep telling yourself that, Mr. President.”
The governor later told local station WBAL that Trump’s story was entirely fabricated. “I’m a person who takes my integrity very seriously,” Moore said. “I spent the six months before that election explaining why I did not think he should be the next president of the United States. So when I say that conversation never happened, that imaginary conversation never happened. I mean, it never happened.”
Moore’s senior communications adviser, Carter Elliott IV, also told The Washington Post that while the two men did meet, Moore never made the remarks Trump claimed.
On Sunday, Aug. 24, Trump had threatened to send military forces into Baltimore, describing the city as “out of control” and “crime-ridden” in a Truth Social post. Moore responded by inviting Trump to walk the streets of Baltimore with local officials to discuss public safety. Trump declined, saying on Monday: “Clean up your crime, and I’ll walk with you.”
The exchange follows Trump’s recent deployment of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and the National Guard to combat crime and homelessness. He declared a “public safety emergency” during an Aug. 11 press conference, which led to an influx of troops, expanded curfews for minors, and ICE checkpoints across the capital.
While the measures have sparked protests, Trump defended the crackdown during an Aug. 21 interview with conservative radio host Todd Starnes. “The National Guard is great. They’ve done a fantastic job,” he said.
