Sen. Tim Scott: Trump's Baltimore tweets 'not racially motivated,' but White House should focus on 'failed' Dem policies in metro areas
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Trump's tweets about Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., were not motivated by race, but politicians must get past personal sniping, according to Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.
Lawmakers would be better served to highlight failed liberal policies in metropolitan areas like Baltimore, while the White House should bring more attention to initiatives they introduced to the benefit of such communities, Scott claimed Tuesday on "Special Report."
"I don't think the back-and-forth is very productive for the average person in our country," he said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"There's no doubt that I don't find his tweets to have been racially motivated. I think we should take the high road and spend more time talking about how to deal with the failed policies of the left."
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Turning to places like Baltimore, Md. and his own home area of Charleston, S.C., Scott -- who is the first African-American senator elected in the South since Reconstruction -- said metropolitan areas have one key attribute in common.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It's liberal leadership and poor outcomes, which means the people who are mired in poverty aren't getting the help that they desperately need," he said.
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"The exact opposite is true right now, where because of opportunity zones supported by the president, we are bringing more than $30 billion of private-sector dollars back to some of the poorest areas of the country."
He praised the president for making criminal justice reform a hallmark of his term.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pointing to Trump's work, Scott said voters from both sides of the aisle could see the, "proven measurable results" if the two sides raise the discourse level.
"This is what we should be talking about," he said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"This is the legacy of the current administration. If we spent more time talking about the people that we serve, the president and his policies would be in a brighter light, and frankly the focus on the failed policies of the left -- it'd be easier to have a discussion."
He also praised Trump for hosting what he believed to be the first visit in history by leaders of historically black colleges and universities to meet with him.