Donald Trump decides that Baltimore riots are Barack Obama's fault

His Twitter reaction to the devastating riots was branded 'racist' by some

Helen Nianias
Tuesday 28 April 2015 11:34 BST
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Donald Trump says he is seriously considering a White House run
Donald Trump says he is seriously considering a White House run

Donald Trump has been heavily criticised after appearing to blame "our great African American President" for the violence in Baltimore.

The entrepreneur singles out President Barack Obama for the riots that started after Freddie Gray's funeral.

Gray, 25, suffered a fatal spinal injury while in police custody and died on 19 April.

The case intensified the discussion around the way young black men are treated by some US police officers. Six officers have been suspended and a series of investigations have been ordered to try and determine what happened.

A state of emergency has been declared in Maryland since rioting broke out on Monday night.

However, none of the nuance or emotion of the case was processed by Donald Trump, who tweeted:

Most people were pretty appalled by the statement.

Trump also mourned the injury of 15 police officers and urged for stronger action.

Questions have been raised about how the Baltimore authorities have handled the spate of violence. At the weekend, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings said she wished to allow "those who wish to destroy space to do that as well" after Gray's funeral.

However, Rawlings has since said that her remark was misinterpreted, saying: "I did not instruct police to give space to protesters who were seeking to create violence or destruction of property."

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