As the death toll from Florence grew to 37, Donald Trump visited the Carolinas today to assess damage from a storm he called “one of the wettest we’ve ever seen from the standpoint of water.” After landing in the Carolinas Trump talked about the federal response, touting the job he and his team have been doing both before and after the storm. Several officials in the room reciprocated praising the work the Government has been doing as well (watch above). Politico says:
President Donald Trump touted the federal government’s response to Hurricane Florence during a stop in North Carolina Wednesday, after the storm overwhelmed the region starting last week.
“There will be nothing left undone. You will have everything you need,” the president told a group of federal and state officials involved in the disaster response who gathered at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, saying he was going to tour the storm damage.
President Trump didn’t toss paper towels into a crowd, but he did tell victims of Hurricane Florence on Wednesday to “have a good time” after asking officials about an area of North Carolina where he owns a golf course.
Trump handed out Styrofoam containers of hot dogs and offered kind words of encouragement to residents of some of the hardest hit towns in the Carolinas as he took in the devastation caused by the catastrophic storm first hand.
President Trump hands out boxes of food to residents affected by Hurricane Florence in New Bern, North Carolina https://t.co/vuXilof8KX pic.twitter.com/jEOcBSdBth
— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) September 19, 2018
"Can I have a hug?"
President Trump embraces boy while distributing meals to those affected by Hurricane Florence in North Carolina. pic.twitter.com/c9mjgFfQYb
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 19, 2018
A reporter for the Asheville Citizen-Times wrote:
https://twitter.com/BrettKelman/status/1042445999929794560
Vanity Fair has more on the golf course exchange:
At one point in the midst of the briefing, Trump asked an official, “How is Lake Norman doing? I love that area. I can’t tell you why, but I love that area.” Trump National Golf Course Charlotte is on Lake Norman. No significant damage to Lake Norman has been reported.
Some of Trump’s other remarks are also raising eyebrows. For instance, this is what happened when Trump saw a boat on someone’s property. NPR reports:
Standing in front of a massive white boat that was dumped into someone’s backyard, the president turned to the crowd.
“I think it’s incredible, to see what we’re seeing. This boat just came here and do you know whose boat that is?” he asked spectators. “They don’t know whose boat that is, but it’s not theirs. What’s the law? Maybe it becomes theirs.”
Speaking to reporters, Trump said the owner told him his insurance company didn’t want to pay for the damage to his home. We’re going to find out, he said. We’re going to find out the name of the insurance company.