When President Donald Trump began making criticism of U.S. Sen. Cory Booker a standard feature of his midterm election campaign stump speech, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka rushed to the New Jersey senator's defense.

After Trump called Booker a "horrible mayor" and accused him of running Newark "into the ground" when he ran New Jersey's largest city, the current mayor, Baraka, told Trump to "come to Newark and see the amazing things happening here with his own eyes."

Booker used his appearance on the "Daily Show" Monday to return the favor.

"Every day, I get up in my community, great city that's on the move -- God bless Ras Baraka, our mayor -- but I see every day the unfinished business of Democrats and Republicans, all of us," he said.

Booker's comments were made during a riff on the need to overhaul the criminal justice system, which he has made a signature issue during his time in the U.S. Senate.

He is a potential Democratic presidential candidate to take on Trump in 2020.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.