Donald Trump is being dragged across the internet after declaring that people who live in Democratic-run cities are “not clean” and complaining that blue cities have a “terrible smell.”
The remarks, made during a campaign rally and again Monday in the Oval Office, quickly ignited criticism from Democrats and social media users, who accused the president of insulting millions of Americans with sweeping stereotypes.
At a rally in Michigan last week, Trump claimed that people living in blue cities are “not clean” and have a “terrible smell.”
He doubled down Monday during an Oval Office press gaggle, arguing that Democratic-led cities all suffer from the same problems.
“I said it the other day and it maybe doesn’t sound that important, but when a country goes bad—like, look at the blue cities,” Trump said.
The president claimed blue cities are plagued by violent crime before shifting his focus to their appearance.
“They’re all dirty. They’re filthy dirty,” Trump said.
He went on to complain that the streets “smell,” storefronts are “broken,” trees are “gross,” and that “everything about the place is dirty.”
The comments sparked immediate backlash online, where critics mocked Trump’s broad characterization of America’s largest metropolitan areas and accused him of painting millions of people with the same brush.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom responded by posting a series of scenic photos highlighting the beauty of his state after Trump’s latest remarks.
Rep. Ted Lieu of California also pushed back, noting that many Democratic-led cities successfully hosted World Cup matches that the Trump administration publicly celebrated.
“The World Cup in America was hosted mostly by blue cities,” Lieu wrote. “Remember how the Trump Administration bragged about how great that went?”
Social media users piled on as well, with many calling Trump’s comments insulting, inaccurate, disgusting, and another attempt to score political points by attacking Democratic cities.
Trump has repeatedly portrayed Democratic-led cities as dangerous, dirty, and poorly managed throughout his political career, often tying those claims to his immigration agenda and broader criticism of liberal leadership.
This time, however, critics said the president’s decision to describe the people living in those cities as “not clean” crossed a new line, and the internet wasted little time firing back.
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