Sen. Booker Of NJ Blasts Trump For Tweet On Affordable Housing

NEWARK, NJ — Even the coronavirus can’t put a dent in President Donald Trump’s ongoing attempts to start a Twitter feud with U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey.

Trump, who declared Monday that he’s feeling “really good” after his recent bout with COVID-19, has since gone on an “unhinged tweet storm,” according to Booker, a Newark resident.

On Wednesday, the president – who has been a consistent critic of Booker – brought the senator into the mix. Trump wrote:

“Biden supports Cory Booker’s bill that will force low income housing in the suburbs, which will lower property values and bring crime to your neighborhoods. If Dems win, GOODBYE SUBURBS!”

Booker’s reply was a swift and short endorsement for former Vice President Joe Biden: “In the words of our next president, ‘Keep yappin,’ man.’”

“If you’ve been on Twitter in the last 24 hours, you’ve probably noticed President Trump has been on a unhinged tweet storm,” Booker later wrote in a campaign email.

“Last night, he decided to dedicate one of those tweets to attacking me – again,” Booker wrote. “Once again, it’s clear that Trump’s racism is showing, and he’s hung up on my record of fighting for economic equality and opportunity for all Americans.”

Trump’s latest tweet about Booker rallied several replies from women who haven’t forgotten the president's recent post that he was counting on the vote of “the suburban housewife” to help carry him to victory.

Trump’s attempt to link Booker’s name to “low-income housing” aren’t without reason, however. The senator’s past experiences with housing issues were a central spoke in his 2020 presidential campaign, which he ended in January.

Booker has been a longtime advocate for creating affordable housing, recently introducing bills such as the Jobs and Neighborhood Investment Act, which would invest $17.9 billion in vulnerable communities hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, and the Housing, Opportunity, Mobility and Equity (HOME) Act, which would provide immediate assistance to rent-burdened individuals with monthly tax credits, while pushing communities to adopt more inclusive zoning laws.

Last year, a few months before announcing his presidential bid, Booker released a sweeping plan to tackle rising housing costs for low and middle-class U.S. residents.

The plan included “renter credits” that would cap costs at 30 percent of a person’s income, as well as spending $40 billion every year to fund the construction of new apartments and homes for low-income renters. Read the full plan here.

“All people deserve a chance to live without the worry of being homeless or keeping their families safe,” Booker urged. “Housing is a basic need and a basic right. And Americans shouldn’t have to face insurmountable financial challenges to put a roof over their heads.”

• See related article: Essex County Has Most Homeless In NJ; Evictions Played A Big Role

TRUMP VS. BOOKER: A BRIEF HISTORY

Wednesday’s tweet wasn’t the first time that Trump has gone on the offensive versus Booker using Twitter as the battlefield.

Previously, the president has accused Booker – the former mayor of Newark – of "running the city into the ground." He's also mocked Booker's so-called "Spartacus" moment, when the senator threatened to release pre-approved documents regarding Brett Kavanaugh's past on the third day of the judge's U.S. Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

For his part, Booker hasn't been a big fan of Trump, either, blasting his record on issues such as tax reform, immigration and the environment.

The two briefly came to terms on criminal justice issues on the First Step Act, which shortens mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders. But apparently, the president still has a chip on his shoulder when it comes to Booker.

In August, Trump authored another tweet that mentioned Cory Booker by name, although he misspelled it as "Corey Booker."

The president said he is counting on the vote of “the suburban housewife” to help carry him to victory.

“They want safety and are thrilled that I ended the long-running program where low-income housing would invade their neighborhood,” Trump wrote. “Biden would reinstall it, in a bigger form, with Corey Booker in charge!”

Booker immediately denounced the tweet, calling it racist.

“Donaled, your racism is showing,” the senator quipped, answering Trump’s spelling gaffe with his own.

• See related article: Cory Booker Says Trump's Twitter Jab At Him Is 'Racist'

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