President Donald Trump has a message for Maryland’s Democratic Governor Wes Moore: don’t bother with photo-op invitations until you’ve fixed Baltimore’s crime disaster.

The exchange began when Moore sent a letter inviting Trump to join a public safety walk next month alongside Baltimore’s mayor, state’s attorney, and other officials. Moore claimed there was “no higher priority” than keeping residents safe and argued his administration was pursuing an “all-of-the-above approach” to public safety.

Trump didn’t mince words in his response. Posting on Truth Social, he accused Moore of trying to score political points instead of solving the crisis. “Governor Wes Moore of Maryland has asked, in a rather nasty and provocative tone, that I ‘walk the streets of Maryland’ with him,” Trump wrote. “I assume he is talking about out of control, crime ridden, Baltimore? As President, I would much prefer that he clean up this Crime disaster before I go there for a ‘walk.’”

The president also pointed to Moore’s poor crime record, suggesting Baltimore manipulates statistics like other blue states. Trump reminded Moore that he had already provided funding to repair the city’s collapsed bridge and hinted he may reconsider further aid if the governor continues failing on crime.

Trump contrasted Moore’s leadership with his own decisive actions in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., where he deployed the National Guard to restore order. Earlier this month, Trump invoked federal authority to place D.C.’s police force under federal control, a move that he said led to a 22 percent drop in violent crime in just one week.

“After only one week, there is NO CRIME AND NO MURDER IN DC!” Trump declared. “When it is like that in Baltimore, I will proudly ‘walk the streets’ with the failing, because of Crime, Governor of Maryland. P.S. Baltimore is ranked the 4th WORST CITY IN THE NATION IN CRIME & MURDER. Stop talking and get to work, Wes.”

For Trump, the issue is simple: words and staged walks won’t solve a decades-long crisis in Baltimore. He’s framing the confrontation with Moore as another example of Democrat incompetence in running America’s cities — and reminding voters that his administration is willing to do what Democrats won’t: send in reinforcements, restore law and order, and make the streets safe again.

The standoff also sets up a bigger political battle. With Moore rumored to have national ambitions, Trump’s sharp rebuke positions him as the one dictating terms, not just to local leaders, but to would-be challengers. Baltimore may be the immediate backdrop, but the implications stretch far beyond Maryland — into the heart of America’s debate over crime, leadership, and accountability.