Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said a Baltimore church kicking him off their property before a Wednesday press conference was an example of “animosity” in society, The Baltimore Sun reports. HUD officials reportedly hoped to hold the press conference on a vacant lot owned by Morning Star Baptist Church of Christ, but did not ask for the church’s permission. Gregory Evans, a church member, asked Carson’s entourage to move—but said the request was “nothing personal,” and he “didn’t know it was Secretary Carson.” The press conference was moved to a nearby alley, but the secretary was not pleased. “We just have all this animosity all the time,” Carson told reporters. “For instance, you guys know, you were set up on this property, and right here is this church that said: ‘Get off our property.’ You know, a church? When we’re talking about helping the people. I mean, this is the level to which we have sunken as a society.” 

This comes after President Trump said Rep. Elijah Cummings’ (D-MD) district was a “rodent infested mess” and claimed billions in federal funds were “stolen” or “wasted” in the city. During the press conference, Carson said the government would continue to invest in the city but added there were “problems” and “bad things in Baltimore.”