August 27 2025, 08:15 
President Donald Trump recently lied about Maryland’s pro-LGBTQ+ Gov. Wes Moore (D) praising him in private. Moore immediately took to social media to declare that the alleged praise never happened.
Trump has recently threatened to deploy National Guard troops to Baltimore, describing the city as “out of control,” “crime-ridden,” and “a horrible, horrible death bed.” The city was recently ranked as the fourth most dangerous U.S. city, based on FBI reports of murder and property crime, by U.S. News and World Report.
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Moore criticized Trump over the weekend for pressuring red states to gerrymander their election maps so more Republicans win congressional seats in the 2026 midterm elections. Moore said he’s actively considering doing the same in Maryland to counteract Trump’s plan.
Complaining about Moore on Monday, the president told reporters in the White House Oval Office that he spoke with Moore at the Army-Navy football game last year.
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“He came over to me, hugged me, shook my hand… He said, ‘Sir, you’re the greatest president of my lifetime.’ I said, ‘That’s really nice that you say that. I’d love you to say it publicly, but I don’t think you can do that, so it’s okay.’ But [Moore said,] ‘No, sir, you’re doing a fantastic job. I want to just shake your hand. Thank you very much.’… That was it. And then every time I see him on television, he’s knocking the hell out of me, so. But that’s all right. It’s called politics.”
Moore responded to the allegation on social media, writing “lol” in a post containing the president’s comments on X.
“Keep telling yourself that, Mr. President,” the governor added.
— Wes Moore (@iamwesmoore) August 25, 2025
Moore made history in 2022 by becoming his state’s first-ever Black governor. During his tenure, he has repeatedly shown support for the LGBTQ+ community by speaking in defense of queer civil rights and approving legislation that protects those rights.
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