President Donald Trump blasted former Homeland Security secretary Tom Ridge and called him a "Republican in Name Only" after Ridge ripped the president for sending federal agents to cities experiencing ongoing protests.
On Thursday, Trump tweeted that he loves "watching pathetic Never Trumpers squirm!"
"Recently watched failed RINO Tom Ridge, former head of Homeland Security, trying to justify his sudden love of the Radical Left Mayor of Portland, who last night was booed & shouted out of existence by the agitators & anarchists," Trump wrote.
Ridge has vocally stated his opposition to the president’s decision to send federal agents to cities to help end demonstrations and put a stop on violent crime.
Ridge called Trump’s plan to send federal officials to Chicago "a reality TV approach" to a serious problem and suggested that the Trump administration didn’t actually have a plan in place to deal with ongoing violence in the city.
"I'm not even sure they have a plan. Have they talked to the mayor? Have they talked to the chief of police? Have they talked to the U.S. attorney?" Ridge told CNN's John Berman on "Anderson Cooper 360" on Wednesday.
"They'll leave in a couple of weeks and the lawlessness will reemerge, and they still haven't dealt with the social and the economic conditions that underpin the lawlessness," he added. "So it’s a very disappointing response to a serious problem but it’s typical of someone who thinks reality TV is real."
Trump’s tweet attacking Ridge came after Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, was hit with tear gas after meeting with protesters. The gas was allegedly released by federal agents, according to The Hill.
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