In a CBS News “Things That Matter” town hall, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore criticized President Trump’s handling of immigration as well as the shortcomings of the Biden administration on the issue. He fired back at a spate of insults from the president, but hinted that Democrats could pick up a few lessons from Mr. Trump as they seek to shed their image as “the party of no and slow.” The Army veteran-turned-Democratic governor also addressed his own political future during the hourlong discussion moderated by CBS News senior correspondent Norah O’Donnell, airing Sunday. Here are the highlights: Moore: Democrats need to stop being “the party of no and slow” Asked what the Democratic party should do differently, Moore said: “Democrats have got to stop being the party of no and slow, and start being the party of yes and now. Everything cannot be a 10-year study. Everything cannot be a 15-year analysis, right?” the governor added. “If I’m telling you that I feel like the school that my child is attending is not preparing them for the world, I don’t want to hear you tell me, ‘Well let me just make sure that I put a commission together to analyze that. Trump. “He does not waste time,” the governor said. “Donald Trump did not need an analysis to decide that he was going to rip away food assistance for the people of our state. Donald Trump did not need a five-year study to determine that he was going to deploy federal agents inside of our communities and neighborhoods with no accountability.” Earlier in the town hall, Moore pushed his party to focus on “addressing the issues that people care about,” like the cost of living, rather than offering “red meat” to its existing supporters. “I think in this moment that the job of the Democratic Party is not to just energize the base,” Moore said. “It’s to enlargen it. It’s to speak to everybody.” Does Moore think Trump is a racist? Moore has found himself in Mr. Trump’s crosshairs in recent days. He was one of two Democrats who Mr. Trump declared “not worthy” to get invited to an annual White House meeting and dinner with governors from both parties this month. In a Truth Social post, the president called Moore “foul mouthed,” criticized his performance as Maryland governor and accused him of lying about receiving a military medal. Moore said Mr. Trump’s post was “full of lies” and “unhinged.” Moore shrugged off the White House snub, saying that “if the point of the meeting is to turn it into name-calling . I will not go. I will work with anyone. But I will bow down to no one,” Moore told CBS News. “And I think the president has a problem with that.” Earlier this month, Mr. Trump drew bipartisan criticism over a Truth Social post that included a depiction of Barack and Michelle Obama as apes. A litany of Republican lawmakers called the video which has been deleted “racist, incredibly offensive” and “inappropriate.” The president said he didn’t see the offensive part of the video before posting it. Asked if he believes Mr. Trump is a racist, Moore said it’s a question for the president to answer. “But, frankly, I think his actions probably give the answer before he even has a chance to answer it himself,” the Maryland governor said. Moore criticizes Trump’s immigration crackdown but says Biden “needed to do more” Moore was critical of Mr. Trump’s handling of immigration, including a surge in Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests that he argued has ensnared many people who fall far short of the Trump administration’s pledge to go after the “worst of the worst.” He said ICE, which received a massive infusion of funds last year, is, by funding, “the largest law enforcement agency in this country, and they are using their resources arresting 5-year-olds. And so, I have a very difficult time seeing how this is making us safer.” The governor also said that both parties have “punted” on immigration. Asked about the surge in unauthorized border crossings during former President Joe Biden’s time in office, Moore said, “I definitely think that the former president did not have this right. We needed to do more,” he said. “I don’t think anyone can argue that we had the system worked out under President Biden that immigration was worked out.” He said Congress needs to pass comprehensive immigration reform, and faulted the current GOP-led House and Senate for a “continued abdication of responsibility.” Moore says “justice has to be served” for Epstein’s crimes Moore called the revelations that have come to light in millions of newly released Justice Department files on the late sex offender “sickening.” He continued: “there needs to be accountability for anybody who was in those files. I think if you are found guilty of doing these horrific things to these children, I do not care your background nor political affiliation, justice has to be served,” the governor said. The trove of files on Epstein and his convicted associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, have offered new details on the government’s investigations into Epstein for child sexual abuse, including on the piles of evidence that investigators had amassed for decades. Many Epstein survivors have blasted the Justice Department for letting Epstein avoid federal charges until 2019, and for initially resolving his case with a 2008 plea deal on prostitution charges in Florida state court. Epstein died by suicide while awaiting trial in federal custody in 2019. Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking conspiracy and other crimes, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. It’s not clear that anybody other than Epstein and Maxwell is implicated in any crimes, but many big names appear in the files, reflecting the close relationships that Epstein cultivated with the rich and powerful. Inclusion in the files is not necessarily evidence of wrongdoing. “The lack of accountability, the lack of transparency, and frankly the lack of justice that we have seen from this has been staggering,” Moore said. “And so I stand with the many, many Americans who say there needs to be accountability for what happened to these children.” Moore: “I’m not running for president” Moore is widely viewed as a potential presidential contender. But he told CBS News he isn’t considering a run for the White House in 2028. “I’m not running for president,” Moore said, adding that he is focusing on his 2026 reelection bid. Asked if he would ever consider running for president in the future, the 47-year-old governor said: “I don’t see a reason . I love my job, and I love what I’m doing.” Cost of living is a “big problem” in Maryland Most Americans hold a dim view of the state of the economy, with widespread frustration over the cost of living, according to recent CBS News/YouGov polling. Maryland is far from immune: The state comptroller found last October that about 40, 000 people have left Maryland annually in recent years, with many moving to states with lower housing costs. Utility bills have also surged. Moore acknowledged that housing and energy costs are too high. “It is a national problem. But it is a very big problem in the state of Maryland,” the governor said. “It’s just harder to get by. And frankly, it’s not fair.” He said the state hasn’t done enough to build more housing or “fortify” the electric grid by adding more generating capacity. He said he’s pushing regional power grid operator PJM to cap costs and “stop slowing down” approvals of new energy projects. Moore also called himself “one of the most aggressive housing governors in this country,” highlighting a proposal to build housing units on state-owned land. Moore presses Maryland Senate to take up redistricting Moore is pushing state lawmakers to redraw Maryland’s congressional map to give Democrats a chance of winning the state’s sole GOP-controlled House district, part of a nationwide wave of mid-decade redistricting efforts. The redistricting measure passed the state House, but it has stalled in the Senate, with the chamber’s leader arguing it could backfire by diluting Democrats’ edge in other districts. Moore told CBS News all he’s asking of the state Senate is: “Debate it. Discuss it. And do your democratic duty to vote. No matter how the vote goes, I’m good, because that’s democracy.” The governor faulted Republicans for firing the opening salvo in the redistricting fight by redrawing Texas’ map to create five new GOP-leaning seats. After Texas passed its maps, California made five of its House districts more Democratic, and Missouri and North Carolina drew one new GOP-leaning district apiece. Virginia Democrats are also looking to redistrict. “Donald Trump started this conversation when he started calling Texas and said, ‘I need you to find me votes,'” he said.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wes-moore-cbs-news-town-hall-maryland-trump-biden-immigration-epstein/
7 highlights from CBS News town hall with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore
