Out filmmaker John Waters has responded
to President Donald Trump's comments against Representative Elijah
Cummings, a Democrat, and his district, which includes parts of
Baltimore.
In a series of tweets, Trump called
Cummings, a vocal critic of the president, a “brutal bully” and
described Baltimore as “a very dangerous and filthy place.”
Waters, a Baltimore native, told
Artnews:
“Give me the rats and roaches of Baltimore any day over the lies
and racism of your Washington, Mr. Trump. Come on over to that
neighborhood and see if you have the nerve to say it in person!”
During an appearance on MSNBC's AM
Joy, Waters, who filmed many of his iconic films in Baltimore,
expanded on his thoughts.
“I lived in that neighborhood, in a
predominantly African-American neighborhood in Mr. Cummings’
district… for 17 years. I made Hairspray when I lived there.
And, you know, I never had the slightest bit of trouble,” he said.
“People were lovely to me. And rats
and roaches, you know, Baltimore, we work with what we got and we
make it better. I don’t think he cares what I say but the problem
is I don’t know how he thinks he’s going to get votes from this,
because the people that are racist and that already like him –
they’re already going to vote for him. But the other people that
may be starting to crumble – this is going to make them not vote
for him. So I don’t even think it’s smart politically,” Waters
said.