WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President can鈥檛 seem to stop talking about Maryland Gov. .
He refused to invite him to later this week with state leaders from both parties, saying he was 鈥渘ot worthy鈥� of the event. And he has castigated Moore for that has spoiled the Potomac River, even though the faulty pipe is part of a .
There could soon be more reasons for Trump to complain about Moore, the nation’s only Black governor currently in office. Moore is trying to redraw Maryland鈥檚 congressional map to boost Democrats, part of that Trump started to help Republicans in the midterm elections.
If Moore can overcome resistance from in the state legislature, the tide could continue to shift in Democrats鈥� favor.
Moore, who is frequently floated as a potential Democratic presidential candidate, is the vice chair of the National Governors Association, which is meeting in Washington this week for its annual conference. He sat down with The Associated Press on Wednesday at the start of his visit. Here is a transcript of the interview, edited for length and clarity.
Redistricting
Q: You met with Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries to talk about redistricting. Can you tell me what your understanding was leaving that meeting and whether there will be an up and down vote in the Maryland legislature?
A: All we鈥檙e asking for is a vote. And however the vote goes, however the vote goes. But that鈥檚 democracy.
Q: What do you see as your role in the party?
A: I don鈥檛 look at it as I鈥檓 doing it because I鈥檓 trying to help a party per se. I鈥檓 doing it because I think we have an unchecked executive and right now Congress does not seem interested in actually doing its job and establishing real checks and balances.
And I’m watching what Donald Trump is doing. This would not be an issue had it not been for Donald Trump saying, you know what, let me come up with every creative way I can think of to make this pain permanent. And one of the ways he did was he said, let鈥檚 just start calling states 鈥� the states I choose 鈥� to say let鈥檚 have a redistricting conversation mid-decade.
This would not even be an issue had Donald Trump not brought this up and introduced this into the ecosystem.
Trump relationship
Q: Speaking of the president, do you have thoughts on why he’s been stepping up his criticism of you on everything from not inviting you to the dinner to his criticism of the Potomac River sewage spill?
A: This one would actually be comical if it weren鈥檛 so serious. This is a Washington, D.C., pipe that exists on federal land. How this has anything to do with Maryland, I have no idea. I think he just woke up and just said, I hate Maryland so I鈥檓 just going to introduce them into a conversation. This literally has nothing to do with us, with the exception of the fact that when we first heard about what happened, that I ordered our team to assist Washington, D.C.
The short answer is I don鈥檛 know. I cannot get into the president鈥檚 psyche.
Q: Do you think it鈥檚 personal?
A: I know it’s not for me. I have no desire to have beef with the president of the United States. I didn鈥檛 run for governor like, man, I can鈥檛 wait so me and the president can go toe to toe. I have no desire on that. But the fact that he is waking up in the middle of the night and tweeting about me, I just, I pray for him and I just feel bad for him because that has just got to be a really, really hard existence.
Trump and Black History Month
Q: right now commemorating Black History Month. Could you share your thoughts on the president鈥檚 relationship with the Black community?
A: Listen, I think the president has long had a very complicated history with the Black community. We鈥檙e talking about a person who has been sued from his earliest days from his treatment of Black tenants. We鈥檙e talking about a person who is one of the originators of birtherism. We鈥檙e talking about a person who has now spent his time trying to ban books about Black history, a person who has spent his time now doing the greatest assault on unemployment of Black women in our nation鈥檚 history. You know, so, I鈥檓 not sure what anyone is going to gain from an event by Donald Trump about Black history.
2028
Q: Do you think the next presidential nominee on both sides might come from this group of governors?
A: I see the governors as in many ways the final line of defense because I think it鈥檚 never mattered more who your governor is.
Q: The country is so polarized. How do we break the fever?
A: You stay consistent with who you are. I think if you鈥檙e a polarizing person or polarizing personality, then that鈥檚 just who you are. That鈥檚 just never been me.
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