President Donald Trump has returned to firing off criticisms of New York Attorney General Letitia James, pressing for her removal from a sexual assault inquiry tied to Cornell University.
Yet James had her own message ready when she carried the confrontation to Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City.
Delivering remarks at Abyssinian on Sunday, Oct. 11, James addressed Trump’s “dog” taunts and urged the congregation to unite against racism as the midterm elections approach.
Her remarks drew applause as she tied the controversy to broader concerns about voting rights and racial equality.
“The president yesterday called me a dog,” James told the gathering. “The Republican who is running for the state of New York called me a really racist word yesterday.”
She explained that she had chosen Abyssinian’s Men’s Day service as a platform to urge the congregation to stand against racism in New York.
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James then shifted emphasis to the critical importance of voting, reminding listeners that earlier generations fought and died to secure that privilege.
She urged people to raise their voices at the ballot box and not let political divisions deter them from participating in the democratic process.
“I’ve come here today to remind all of you of the precious right to vote and how our ancestors died for that right,” she said.
James characterized voting as a peaceful form of resistance to efforts she believes widen racial and other divides among Americans. She also criticized policies she linked to family separations and the detention of children, urging the congregation to make their opposition clear on Election Day.
The appearance followed a sequence of public attacks by Trump against James, a frequent target of his rhetoric.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump questioned her credibility, labeling her a “dirty and disgusting cop,” and pressed New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to remove her from a criminal probe into sexual assault allegations at Cornell University.
“How can ‘New York State Attorney General,’ Letitia James, be allowed to investigate the Cornell rape scandal, when she is a DIRTY AND DISGUSTING COP herself and has ZERO credibility?” Trump wrote.
He argued that James’ involvement would undermine any decision in the case and urged Hochul to replace her with someone he described as not being a “Third Rate, Crooked Politician.”
Trump had also targeted James during a public appearance in New York before the church event. Speaking about the upcoming election, he urged New Yorkers to vote Hochul and James out of office, again calling the attorney general a “dog.”
Trump told his supporters, “And on Election Day, New Yorkers should tell Hochul and that disgusting Letitia, dog — she’s a dog — you’re fired. Get the hell outta here, you’re fired.”
The feud between Trump and James extends well before his latest comments.
James pursued a civil fraud case against Trump and his company that culminated in a judgment surpassing $450 million in 2024, establishing her as a frequent target of his public criticisms.
However, an appeals court in New York overturned the financial penalty in August 2025 while upholding the finding that Trump and his firm were liable for fraud.
More recently, federal efforts to press criminal charges against James have encountered legal and procedural hurdles.
As reported previously, a federal judge dismissed the initial bank fraud indictment after ruling that the government had improperly appointed interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan.
Two subsequent grand juries declined to indict James again in December 2025. Although federal authorities issued new criminal referrals in March alleging misrepresentations related to property insurance, those claims did not yield new charges.
Trump’s latest focus centers on Cornell’s inquiry into a former student’s allegations that several men drugged and sexually assaulted her at a Chi Phi fraternity house in 2024.
Court filings name the plaintiff as Jane Doe; she sued Cornell University, the fraternity, and seven current or former students in September. Her complaint asserts that the students provided her with alcohol and drugs before sexually assaulting her while she was partially or fully incapacitated.
The local district attorney initially opted not to prosecute the case. Hochul later reallocated the investigation to James, citing concerns about the local prosecutor’s ability to handle it. James’ office has maintained that the criminal investigation remains active.
An attorney representing one of the men accused in the case has challenged James’ appointment and sought restrictions on public remarks about the investigation.
Meanwhile, Cornell has suspended fraternity events and enlisted former Deputy U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates to lead an independent review of the university’s handling of sexual misconduct complaints.
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