Wes Moore didn't want combat with Trump. But he's embracing the fight.

WASHINGTON — Maryland Governor Wes Moore says he has no desire to be combative with President Donald Trump.

He also doesn't think that attacking the sitting president is the best way for his party to win back swing voters who defaulted to the Republican politician in the last presidential election.

But nevertheless, the Army veteran is choosing to embrace the fight after finding himself at the center of a high-profile skirmish with Trump.

"I have no desire of being combative with the President of the United States, but I also have no desire of watching my people be attacked," Moore told USA TODAY in an interview. "I fight for my people. I defend my people. And when I'm watching someone attack my people, I have no problem returning fire."

The nation's only Black governor and one of the Democratic Party's most up-and-coming politicians, Moore took pains during the first year of Trump's second term to avoid clashing with the president whenever possible. He says he didn't see the point.