The head of Under Armour is coming to the defense of Baltimore, the sportswear company’s hometown, after President Trump called the city “very dangerous and filthy” amid attacks on Rep. Elijah Cummings, the Maryland Democrat who represents it.
CEO Kevin Plank shared a commercial from Under Armour on Instagram on Sunday that features shots of Baltimore and highlights residents. Lasting one minute, the spot is part of Under Armour’s “We Will” campaign, which launched in 2017 and focuses on how sports can unite and inspire.
“On behalf of the thousands of UA Teammates who proudly call Baltimore HOME… Work to be done but we are of this city and for this city,” Plank said in his Instagram post.
The ad from Under Armour features a narrator urging the city’s residents to unite around it: “Imagine what we are capable of, what we can do when we set our minds to it, what incredible things we can accomplish.”
“We grew up in this city, made our name in this city, but there’s more we can do,” the narrator says.
The spot then closes with the words “We will do more for Baltimore.”
Plank’s homage to to the city, where Under Armour has been headquartered for more than two decades, doesn’t mention the president but follows Trump’s weekend skewering of Cummings and his congressional district. Cummings leads the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, which is investigating Trump’s business dealings and policies and has sued to enforce a subpoena of Trump’s financial records from his accounting firm.
The president’s Twitter barrage began early Saturday, when he said Cummings’ Baltimore district is “far worse and more dangerous” than the southern border, where Trump’s hard-line immigration policies have been criticized. The area is a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess,” Trump continued.
The president continued his attacks on Monday, brushing aside condemnation from elected officials, community leaders and The Baltimore Sun, and expanding his commentary to include the Rev. Al Sharpton, a Democratic activist.
“Baltimore, under the leadership of Elijah Cummings, has the worst Crime Statistics in the Nation. 25 years of all talk, no action!” Trump tweeted Monday morning. “So tired of listening to the same old Bull. Next, Reverend Al will show up to complain & protest. Nothing will get done for the people in need.”
Baltimore, under the leadership of Elijah Cummings, has the worst Crime Statistics in the Nation. 25 years of all talk, no action! So tired of listening to the same old Bull…Next, Reverend Al will show up to complain & protest. Nothing will get done for the people in need. Sad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2019
The president’s family, however, has its own ties to the area. Baltimore County reported in late 2017 that Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and a senior adviser at the White House, owns 17 apartment complexes in Baltimore County that racked up more than 200 code violations in a single year.
Plank’s pushback against the president’s remarks, meanwhile, is not the first time he has distanced himself from Trump’s rhetoric. In August 2017, after the president said there were “very fine people on both sides” of the clash between white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, Plank stepped down from the president’s American Manufacturing Council.
“There is no place for racism or discrimination in this world. We choose love & unity,” Plank said in a tweet at the time.
Under Armour is one of Baltimore’s major employers, with nearly 1,900 workers, according to the state.
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