As Donald Trump’s racist rant against Baltimore spirals into a third day, the president has apparently landed his party in an awkward spot. As it turns out, the city the president so recently labeled a “very dangerous & filthy place” and a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess” happens to be the site of the annual House Republican retreat, which will take place in September, and which Trump is expected to attend. Two senior Republicans familiar with the travel plans told the Washington Post that the party will convene at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront for several days for policy discussions, family-friendly activities, and as per tradition, an address from the president. (The retreat’s organizers did not return the Post’s request for comment.)

The venue could put the rest of the Republican party in an uncomfortable position too. Rather than pushing back at the president, or labeling his remarks as the racist taunts they are, few Republican lawmakers appeared interested in fighting this particular battle. “I didn’t do the tweets, I can’t talk about why he did what he did,” former Florida governor and current senator Rick Scott told reporters, while Mark Meadows, a staunch Trump supporter who is close friends with Cummings, tried to have it both ways, saying “neither man is a racist.” Others claimed the tweets have “absolutely zero to do with race” (acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney to Chris Wallace on Sunday) and attempted to leave it there. Trump’s allies in the commentariat, however, had fewer filters in place. “Baltimore, like most Democrat wastelands is overrun by rats,” tweeted conservative youth activist Charlie Kirk, while Rudy Giuliani argued that Bernie Sanders had once called Baltimore a “third world city”; ergo, Trump was not racist.

Republicans might not have taken issue with the city of Baltimore at all—per the Post, it’s a frequent destination for legislative retreats thanks to its convenient location and cost-effective travel options—were it not for Trump’s decision to attack Rep. Elijah Cummings, a prominent Democratic congressman whose role as chairman on the Oversight Committee leads him to frequently criticize the president. Over the weekend, Trump went on a Twitter spree against the African American civil rights icon, which included taking shots at the “very dangerous & filthy” Baltimore, which happens to be part of Cummings’s district. Per the Post, the trip is still on.

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