President Donald Trump tore into Rev. Al Sharpton early Monday, calling the activist and media personality "a troublemaker" and a "con man."
Trump tweeted:
"I have known Al for 25 years. Went to fights with him & Don King, always got along well. He 'loved Trump!' He would ask me for favors often. Al is a con man, a troublemaker, always looking for a score. Just doing his thing. Must have intimidated Comcast/NBC. Hates Whites & Cops!"
Trump was responding to Sharpton's post from late Sunday evening in which he included a photo of himself in Washington, D.C. as he headed to Baltimore. Sharpton and former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele were scheduled to address the media Monday morning regarding Trump's comments about Baltimore that some are calling racist.
Sharpton tweeted:
"Arrived in DC from Atlanta, headed to Baltimore. Long day but can't stop."
Sharpton said he and Steele will "Decry Trump's remarks about Baltimore & its Leadership" during Monday's press conference.
Trump has come under fire for comments he made about Baltimore and Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md. In several tweets over the weekend, Trump called Cummings a "brutal bully" and said the area of Baltimore he represents "is a disgusting, rat, and rodent infested mess."
The remarks were met with strong criticism from people claiming they were racist, but Trump followed up throughout the weekend by tweeting videos that purportedly showed poor living conditions and even crimes caught on camera in Baltimore.
Following his initial tweet about Sharpton Monday morning, Trump wrote:
"Baltimore, under the leadership of Elijah Cummings, has the worst Crime Statistics in the Nation. 25 years of all talk, no action! So tired of listening to the same old Bull...Next, Reverend Al will show up to complain & protest. Nothing will get done for the people in need. Sad!"
Sharpton fired back by tweeting a photo of Trump addressing him and other leaders of the black community in 2006.
He wrote:
"Trump at NAN Convention 2006 telling James Brown and Jesse Jackson why he respects my work. Different tune now."
Trump soon returned to the topic:
"Al Sharpton would always ask me to go to his events. He would say, 'it’s a personal favor to me.' Seldom, but sometimes, I would go. It was fine. He came to my office in T.T. during the presidential campaign to apologize for the way he was talking about me. Just a conman at work!"
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