President Donald Trump was speaking to reporters on Monday when he suddenly doled out praise for a onetime target of his racist tweets: Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD).
When a reporter asked about his trip last week to Baltimore, Maryland, Trump randomly brought up a “great meeting” he’d had in 2017 with Cummings, whom he’d repeatedly attacked in July by calling the lawmaker’s majority black district in Baltimore a “very dangerous and filthy place.”
“I had a great meeting with Elijah Cummings in this office very early in my tenure, and it was a meeting on drug prices,” Trump said on Monday. “And I saw him get emotional talking about drug prices. Seriously emotional.”
“And I was really impressed,” he continued. “He cared about it. And I would certainly be willing to meet with Elijah and other people if they’d like. But I saw the emotion and the feeling that he had for reducing drug prices.”
Trump described it as a “very beautiful moment” and said he wanted to continue working with Cummings on lowering drug prices.
“I look forward to working with Elijah but I look forward to working with a lot of people,” he said.
It was an unexpected comment from Trump, who generally doubles down on his attacks against foes whenever he receives criticism for his rhetoric.
Watch Trump below:
Trump unexpectedly praises Elijah Cummings as a "caring man," says he looks forward to working with Maryland Democrat pic.twitter.com/eAo4XGrAl2
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) September 16, 2019
