President Donald Trump honored the late Democratic Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings on Thursday, calling him a “highly respected political leader.”
“My warmest condolences to the family and many friends of Congressman Elijah Cummings,” Trump said in a tweet. “I got to see first hand the strength, passion and wisdom of this highly respected political leader. His work and voice on so many fronts will be very hard, if not impossible, to replace!”
My warmest condolences to the family and many friends of Congressman Elijah Cummings. I got to see first hand the strength, passion and wisdom of this highly respected political leader. His work and voice on so many fronts will be very hard, if not impossible, to replace!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 17, 2019
Cummings passed away Thursday morning at the age of 68, due to complications from long-term health challenges.
The powerful House Oversight Committee chairman had been helping lead the impeachment inquiry of the president at the time of his death. (RELATED: Larry Hogan Back Trump Impeachment Inquiry)
Trump and Cummings engaged in a feud earlier this year after the president ripped Cummings’ home city of Baltimore as a “a very dangerous & filthy place,” referencing the city’s high crime rate. Trump’s comments were denounced as racist by Democratic leaders, although the president denied the charge.
Cummings had represented Maryland’s 7th district —which encompasses much of Baltimore— in the House of Representatives for 23 years at the time of his death.