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White House Responds to Questions About Trump Not Saying a Word About the People Who Were Killed During Harvey

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Reporter: “Was there a reason the President didn’t talk that much about the people who were actually killed in the storm, the people who were displaced, who have been left homeless?”

After spending much of the day in Texas, the President and the First Lady returned home to Washington, D.C. aboard Air Force One. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders held a press gaggle with reporters on the plane. She was asked about Trump’s stunning lack of empathy towards the victims of Hurricane Harvey. Her answer was just as stunning.

Many across the nation were shocked and saddened that President Trump did not meet with a single victim of Hurricane Harvey during his visit to Corpus Christi and Austin, and did not even mention the name of a single person who died – even a local police officer who drowned. Trump did not say a single word about anyone who died, did not say anything about the (at lest) hundreds of thousands, or possibly millions, who have been displaced, did not seem to grasp the tremendous emotional impact Hurricane Harvey has had on millions of people across Texas, and exhibited absolutely zero empathy.

The President did manage to turn his stop in Corpus Christi into a campaign event, telling people who came to see him he was impressed with the size of the crowd. 

A CNN reporter, and a former Bush 43 Press Secretary, Ari Fletcher, both made very public comments Tuesday about Trump’s lack of empathy. The Dallas Morning News press pool also reported Trump said nothing about the dead and dying.

On the plane back to DC, a reporter asked Sarah Huckabee Sanders about it.

“Was there a reason the President didn’t talk that much about the people who were actually killed in the storm, the people who were displaced, who have been left homeless?” a reporter, who was not identified in the official White House transcript, asked. “It seemed like the focus was more on making sure the federal government was working well with state and local officials. And could you speak to just what his reaction was when he saw the images in Houston? It sounds like he watched some of that on the plane.”

Here’s what Huckabee Sanders had to say in response:

“I don’t think you could deny the powerful effects that some of the images that we’ve seen over the past couple of days.  Certainly something that I know is very moving both to the President and the First Lady.  One of the reasons she really wanted to be part of the trip today.  I think he’s made very clear the priority is taking care of the people and doing whatever we can, but also letting the state and local officials take the lead in that process.  And we’re going to continue doing everything we can from our side to help in that.”

That’s it.

To be fair, Huckabee Sanders at the beginning of the gaggle called it “a very powerful day, a strong day.” She added that the “number-one thing after talking to [President trump] just a little bit ago that he wanted to reinforce from today was that this is all about people and making sure that we’re taking care of the people of Texas. And that’s his number-one priority.”

Being President isn’t just about ensuring all the gears of Washington are operating smoothly – and Trump certainly has failed at that. It’s also about speaking for those who cannot, about setting the right tone, about uniting Americans, and about remembering our humanity.

Donald Trump has proven repeatedly, but especially at this most important juncture, that he is incapable of doing that.

RELATED:

Trump Has Been in Texas All Day and Hasn’t Offered a Shred of Empathy for the Victims of Hurricane Harvey

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

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‘He Sued to Block Kids From Getting SNAP’: Trump Torched for Biblical Defense of Children

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10 hours ago

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November 13, 2025

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President Donald Trump came under fire on Thursday after using the Bible to call for protecting children during an event with First Lady Melania Trump.

The event, an executive order signing, was “aimed at expanding opportunities for education, career development, housing, and other resources for young people transitioning from foster care to adulthood,” according to the White House.

“The Bible tells us that one of the measures of any society is how it cares for vulnerable children and orphans,” President Trump told the assembled audience in the East Room of the White House.

“So important, it is so big in the Bible, so, as we make America great again, we are going to protect American children in foster care.”

READ MORE: ‘Concepts of a Plan’: White House and GOP Under Fire for Health Care Cost Crisis

Critics were quick to chastise the president, whose administration has been fighting all the way to the Supreme Court to block funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

“You literally fought in court to strip families of food assistance,” declared California Governor Gavin Newsom.

“Your ICE agents pepper sprayed a baby last week,” charged House Homeland Security Committee Democrats.

“He sued to block kids from getting SNAP benefits just days ago,” wrote The Lincoln Project.

The Friendly Atheist’s Hemant Mehta posted a headline that read: “USAID cuts may lead to more than 14 million deaths globally, including 4.5 million children under 5 by 2030, researchers say.”

READ MORE: Trump Stumbles Over ‘God Bless America’ Lyrics at Veterans Day Ceremony

 

Image via Reuters 

 

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‘Concepts of a Plan’: White House and GOP Under Fire for Health Care Cost Crisis

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11 hours ago

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November 13, 2025

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It took congressional Democrats more than a year of work — plus several years of prior policy development — to create the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Now, Republicans are scrambling to fix it after passing President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which stripped away the subsidies that helped make buying insurance on the exchanges affordable.

And they have just weeks to make it happen, before the new premiums go into effect on January 1.

The House is back in session after Speaker Mike Johnson kept Republicans in their home districts for almost two months during the federal government shutdown. Now, Republicans and the Trump White House are starting to decide what, if anything, they will do to keep premiums — already published — from doubling or even tripling in certain cases.

“President Donald Trump’s Domestic Policy Council and senior health officials have been meeting privately for preliminary conversations on how to address the expiration of health insurance tax credits, according to a White House official and another person familiar with the talks,” Politico reported on Thursday. “Conversations about a White House alternative to Affordable Care Act subsidies, which will expire at year’s end, are in the ‘early ideation phase,’ said a third person familiar with the talks.”

READ MORE: Congressman Conway? Top Trump Critic Reportedly Eyeing House Bid

Capitol Hill is in a similar state.

Noting that “the clock is ticking,” NBC News reported that “Republicans, under pressure from Democrats after the government shutdown revived the health care clash, have not coalesced around legislation or even an abstract idea, and are only now starting serious discussions about putting proposals together.”

“As the party scrambles to craft an alternative, multiple Republicans are vying for Trump’s endorsement of ideas that could alleviate skyrocketing costs that are just around the corner,” NBC added.

Democrats want a three-year extension of Obamacare subsidies and tax credits, Speaker Johnson has said that is a nonstarter.

Some Republicans are starting to speak out.

READ MORE: ‘Out of Touch’: Eric Trump Blasted for $500 Million Bitcoin Brag

U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), a former Democrat, “warned, ‘not only is it morally bankrupt, it’s political suicide’ for Republicans to let the subsidies expire without an alternative in place.”

U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) prefers a vehicle like health care saving accounts that he claimed will lower costs by driving up competition. President Trump appeared to favor that approach, when he attacked health insurance companies in a social media post earlier this week.

Some are warning that bypassing the Obamacare exchanges could damage or destroy them.

“A tweet is not a health care plan,” Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at KFF, told NBC. “If people could use these Trump health care dollars to buy insurance not regulated by the ACA, it would likely cause the ACA to collapse and upend protections for pre-existing conditions.”

Meanwhile, critics are blasting Republicans on Capitol Hill as well as the Trump administration for waiting so long before starting to try to create a plan.

Responding to the NBC News report, journalist Justin Baragona observed, “we’re still on ‘concepts of a plan’ here.”

“They’ve had 10+ years to work on this and have nothing,” wrote Laura Belin, a reporter for a progressive website. “Time to stop taking their supposed health care policy work seriously.”

“The White House is in ‘early ideation’ phase on ACA subsidies,” wrote The Bulwark’s Jonathan Cohn. “An issue already hitting millions of insurance buyers And that Democrats (not to mention analysts, journalists etc) have been saying needs attention for more than a year.”

Michigan Democratic State Senate Majority Whip Mallory McMorrow, a candidate for the U.S. Senate, wrote: “After Republicans refused to extend ACA subsidies, 4 Michigan insurers are dropping out of the ACA marketplace altogether. That’s 200,000 Michiganders who just lost their plans. Others are just going to cancel their plans. Which means more uncompensated care. Which means *everyone’s* healthcare costs will be higher.”

READ MORE: Trump Stumbles Over ‘God Bless America’ Lyrics at Veterans Day Ceremony

 

Image via Reuters 

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Congressman Conway? Top Trump Critic Reportedly Eyeing House Bid

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14 hours ago

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November 13, 2025

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George Conway, the prominent attorney, Trump critic, and ex-husband of former Trump White House senior counselor Kellyanne Conway, may be considering a run for Congress.

According to a report at CNN and a post by New York Times congressional correspondent Annie Karni, Conway is eyeing a run for retiring Democratic U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler’s New York district.

CNN reported that Conway, 62, is “actively considering running for Congress from New York City, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN.”

Karni reported, “the Conway pitch being — what the House will need next year is an aggressive lawyer with an investigative background just going after Trump.”

READ MORE: Melania Trump to Appear With President as Epstein Files Take Center Stage

Conway is a former Republican who became an independent in 2018. He has a law degree from Yale, and successfully argued a case before the U.S. Supreme Court, obtaining a unanimous ruling. He is a co-founder of The Lincoln Project and currently co-hosts a podcast at The Bulwark.

Should Democrats retake the majority in the House of Representatives, it’s likely there will be numerous investigations into President Donald Trump and his administration — not to mention possible efforts to impeach the unpopular and controversial Commander in Chief.

Conway would have good company in a primary.

“Jack Schlossberg, former President John F. Kennedy’s grandson, entered the race this week,” CNN noted.

The Daily Beast adds that “much of the buzz around Conway stems from his personal life. While he and his 58-year-old ex-wife, Kellyanne, tried to make their marriage work amid his dramatic political realignment, the couple frequently made headlines. As Kellyanne served as senior counselor to Trump from 2017 to 2020, her husband routinely sounded off on her boss and advisers—including Stephen Miller, whom Kellyanne referred to as one of her ‘best friends’ in the current administration earlier this month.”

READ MORE: White House Eyes Major Blitz as GOP Voters Blame Trump for Failing Economy

 

Image by Presia Debauch via Flickr and a CC license

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