Baltimore residents and representatives are defending their city after President Trump described Baltimore as a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess” as he engaged in a Twitter attack against House Oversight Chair Elijah Cummings, one of the most prominent African-American lawmakers in Washington. Trump tweeted that Cummings’s district is “considered the Worst in the USA,” and “no human being would want to live there.” Trump’s attacks came after Fox News ran a story about Baltimore and after Cummings criticized the conditions of immigration jails along the Mexican border. An editorial in The Baltimore Sun Saturday was titled “Better to have a few rats than to be one.” On Saturday, CNN anchor Victor Blackwell choked up on air when discussing Trump’s comments about his hometown.

Victor Blackwell: “The president says about Congressman Cummings’ district that no human would want to live there. You know who did, Mr. President? I did, from the day I was brought home from the hospital to the day I left for college. And a lot of people I care about still do. There are challenges, no doubt, but people are proud of their community.”

Blackwell noted that Trump frequently used the dehumanizing word “infested” when describing people of color. We’ll have more on this story after headlines.