Trump trades blows with Dem governors

President Donald Trump on Tuesday stepped up a feud with Democratic leaders of Maryland, Virginia and Washington over a massive sewage spill into the Potomac River, and it’s turning into a messy political battle.

More than 200 million gallons of wastewater gushed into the Potomac in recent weeks. A pipe collapsed in January on the Potomac Interceptor sewage line alongside the Clara Barton Parkway in Maryland, just outside of the District of Columbia. The pipe and the sewage line are managed by DC Water, an independent utility that serves the capital area and is managing the disaster.

Trump on Tuesday demanded regional Democratic leaders ask him for help in fixing the spill, seemingly backtracking after he announced on Monday that his administration would be taking over the recovery effort.

“The two Governors and the Mayor of D.C. must act, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, referring to Democratic Govs. Wes Moore of Maryland, Abigail Spanberger of Virginia and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, also a Democrat. “If they can’t do the job, they have to call me and ask, politely, to get it fixed. The Federal Government is not at all involved with what has taken place, but we can fix it.”

Trump on Monday singled out Moore in another Truth Social post on the spill, saying it is a “result of the Gross Mismanagement of Local Democrat Leaders, particularly, Governor Wes Moore, of Maryland.”

The sewage spat comes amid a series of feuds the president is waging with state executives, especially Moore, who is seen as a potential Democratic presidential contender in 2028. It’s also the latest example of Trump leveraging the bully pulpit of the presidency to bludgeon his political rivals, including Moore.

Moore responded in a post on X to Trump’s post saying the spill is “basically contained” and asking the White House to instead help with emergency funding to help the state recover from flooding last year.

Ammar Moussa, a spokesperson for Moore, said it’s Trump, not Maryland, who is responsible for the Potomac Interceptor and accused the president of shirking responsibility.

“Since the last century, the federal government has been responsible for the Potomac Interceptor, which is the origin of the sewage leak,” Moussa said in a statement. “Apparently the Trump administration hadn’t gotten the memo that they’re actually supposed to be in charge here. Where the president has failed to act, Maryland has played its part to protect residents, protect drinking water, and ensure…