‘What a Turnout!’: Trump in Texas Thinks His Hurricane Harvey Visit is a Campaign Stop

‘This Is Historic. It’s Epic!’ President Says

President Donald Trump left for Texas at about 9:30 AM, presumably to offer support, help, and hope to the millions of victims of Hurricane Harvey who have lost their homes, their businesses, their belongings, and even their loved ones. As President and head of the executive branch, presumably he was also there to ensure the federal government was operating as it’s supposed to, and to help state and local partners get what they need.

But that’s not exactly what happened.

In Corpus Christie, Trump sat down at a long U-shaped set of tables, with a fire truck as a prop behind him, its compartment doors open to expose important life-saving tools. At a briefing including local, state, and federal government officials, the president praised Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, whom he called a friend. Not once did he mention the fact that at the latest count, 15 people have died from Harvey, and in the coming days that number, sadly, will likely grow exponentially.

“Reporters heard no mention of the dead, dying or displaced Texans and no expression of sympathy for them,” Dallas Morning News poolers reported, per White House pool reporters. “The message was services are coming and Texans will be OK.”

After exiting the status update meeting, Trump decided to climb atop a fire truck parked in the firehouse driveway, and address the victims who stood across the street.

“Thank you everybody,” Trump said, speaking with a microphone. “We love you, you are special, we’re here to take care, it’s going well. I want to thank you for coming out. We’re going to get you back and operating immediately,” he said – a promise he cannot keep.

“What a crowd, what a turnout,” he concluded.

Video:

CNN reported “Trump remarked on the crowd size gathered to hear him speak — as if he were at a rally.”

Local Texas newspaper San Antonio Express-News reported “Corpus Christi was among the cities hard hit by the Category 4 storm,” and Trump “said in a press conference he hoped the response to Harvey would serve as an example in future disasters.”

“Nobody has seen something like this,” Trump said, flanked by First Lady Melania Trump, and Gov. Greg Abbott. “We won’t say congratulations. We don’t want to do that. We’ll congratulate each other when it’s all finished.”

The president said he hoped citizens would look back at how government officials handled Harvey five or 10 years from now and say, “This is the way to do it.”

On social media many were stunned at the president’s lack of empathy and staggering arrogance.

UPDATE: 3:16 PM EDT –

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