Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has called President Donald Trump's recent tweets about Baltimore "outrageous and inappropriate," after encountering criticism for his initial response.
"Why are we not focused on solving the problems and getting to work? Instead of who's tweeting what, who's calling whom names," the Republican told a local radio show Monday.
He added Baltimore has cracked down on violence in the city, bringing in 500 additional police officers leading to 2,000 arrests.
"We're doing a lot of things, but we sure could use some help from the White House and from the Congress," Hogan said.
The governor initially responded to Trump's comments, specifically his calling Baltimore a "rodent infested mess" where "no human" wants to live, by saying: "Baltimore City is truly the very heart of our state, and more attacks between politicians aren't going to get us anywhere."
Trump's criticism of Baltimore and Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., met with harsher condemnation from the city's mayor, Bernard C. Young, who said: "It's completely unacceptable for the political leader of our country to denigrate a vibrant American City like Baltimore, and to viciously attack U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings a patriot and a hero."