Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump addresses the annual conference of the National Guard Association of the United States today in Baltimore.
It's his first visit to the city as the GOP nominee. But during the campaign, he has made several references to Charm City — and some of its leaders.
In his nomination acceptance speech in Cleveland in July, he said homicides in Baltimore had risen 60 percent. At the time, killings were in fact down 7 percent, year over year. He was referring to the increase from 2014 to 2015.
During a Republican primary debate last September, Trump attributed violence in Baltimore and other cities to gangs of immigrants.
"They go, if I get elected, first day they're gone," he said. "Gangs all over the place. Chicago, Baltimore, no matter where you look."
In August 2015 he made similar comments during an Iowa news conference, saying: "You know a lot of the gangs that you see in Baltimore and in St. Louis and Ferguson and Chicago, do you know they're illegal immigrants? They're here illegally. And they're rough dudes. Rough people."
The comments bemused Baltimore officials.
"I'm not sure where Mr. Trump gets his data from regarding our gang issues here in Baltimore," said Howard Libit, then a spokesman for Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. "We certainly have significant issues with gangs, but I have not seen any evidence that our gang problems are fueled in any substantial way by undocumented immigrants."
Appearing in Linthicum in June 2015, Trump said he "loved Baltimore." But he also said the city was seeing "killings on an hourly basis, virtually."
"Baltimore is a very, very special case, and it's a very sad thing that's happened," Trump told reporters. "Baltimore needs jobs and it needs spirit. It's got no spirit. None."
Trump has also commented on public officials from Baltimore. In July, the Republican presidential candidate criticized State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby, who prosecuted the police officers in the death of Freddie Gray.
"I think she ought to prosecute herself," he said.
Trump was speaking at a press conference in Florida at the same moment Mosby appeared in West Baltimore to explain her decision to drop all charges against the police officers still awaiting trial.
"I think it was disgraceful what she did and the way she did it, and the news conference that she had where they were guilty before anybody knew the facts," he said.
And last month, he blasted Rawlings-Blake for supporting Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
"I see where Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake of Baltimore is pushing Crooked hard," he tweeted. "Look at the job she has done in Baltimore. She is a joke!"
Rawlings-Blake tweeted back: "Girl bye, if he can't take criticism from 'a joke,' what's he gonna do when somebody real comes for him?"