President Donald Trump flew to hurricane-devastated Florida to view recovery efforts, meet with residents who had their lives upended by the latest storm, and give a political plug to the state’s GOP governor, Rick Scott.
‘This is a state that I know very well as you understand,’ the president said after meeting with Floridians in Naples. ‘These are special, special people and we love ‘em.’
‘We love these people – we’re going to be back, and we’re going to help them,’ Trump said.
SANDWICH TIME: President Donald Trump helps serve food to people affected by Hurricane Irma, in Naples, Florida, on September 14, 2017
Trump viewed block after block of flooded homes from the air as Marine One flew low over areas around Naples. He stood next to Vice President Mike Pence to shake hands with locals and hand out sandwiches and other food at a trailer park area.
Me met with first responders, and as he did on visits to Texas, hailed first responders and local politicians for their efforts. The president, who wore rubber gloves, smiled and peopel who wanted selfies.
‘WE CAN’T LET IT END’: President Trump urged Florida Gov. Rick Scott to run for the Senate. Millions of his citizens are still without power after Hurricane Irma
Almost as soon as he landed, the president gave a political endorsement to Republican Governor Rick Scott, saying he needed to run for the U.S. Senate.
Trump talked up the term-limited governor, saying he had done an ‘incredible’ job coordinating relief efforts. Scott has been a fixture on cable television, warning Floridians to get out of the state in advance of Hurricane Irma sporting a Navy hat.
‘The job he’s done is incredible,’ said Trump, before hailing the power company and state attorney general Pam Bondi, a political supporter during his own campaign.
‘I hope he runs for Senate,’ the president said at the end of his brief remarks in Ft. Myers.
President Donald Trump (C), with First Lady Melania Trump (C R), US Vice President Mike Pence (L), US Senator Marco Rubio (2nd L) and Florida Governor Rick Scott (2nd R), speaks during a briefing on Hurricane Irma relief efforts at Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Florida, on September 14, 2017.Trump visits storm-ravaged Florida as authorities investigate the deaths of eight residents of a nursing home that lost power when Hurricane Irma whipped through the region
Returning to Scott, Trump said: ‘And I just again I have to say. What do I know, but I hope this man right here, Rick Scott, runs for the Senate.’
He continued: ‘I don’t know what he’s gonna do. But I know that at a certain point it ends for you, and we can’t let it end.’
‘So I hope he runs for Senate. Who knows what he’s gonna do.’
The president made the comments at an airport hangar at the top of a scheduled three-hour visit where he was to meet with victims and tour damage. Houses from the Florida Keys up the coast and all the way to Jacksonville were ruined by the storm.
President Donald Trump (C) First Lady Melania Trump ( L), Florida Governor Rick Scott (C R) and his wife Ann Scott tour a neighborhood affected by Hurricane Irma, in Naples, Florida, on September 14, 2017
President Donald Trump, trailed by the press, viewed flood ravaged homes in Naples
President Donald Trump, trailed by the press, viewed flood ravaged homes in Naples
President Donald Trump talks to the media after arriving to receive a briefing on Hurricane Irma relief efforts in Fort Myers, Florida, U.S., September 14, 2017
President Donald Trump meets with first responders during a briefing on Hurricane Irma relief efforts, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017, in Ft. Myers, Fla.
Trump was accompanied by Mike Pence, who like Trump sported an official seal on his jacket
President Donald Trump speaks to the press on arrival in Fort Myers, Florida, on September 14, 2017.Trump visits areas affected by Hurricane Irma
‘We are there for you 100 percent,’ Trump told Floridians on his visit
On Wednesday, patients at a Florida nursing home died in the sweltering heat after a tree hit a transformer, cutting off air conditioning to their facility.
Scott has long been considered a potential challenger for Sen. Bill Nelson, a Democrat who has been elected three times. Scott is personally wealthy and could use personal funds to run ads ad hire consultants.
He has made comparisons between himself and Trump following Trump’s upset election win in 2016.
Trump also praised former rival Marco Rubio, who was there. Nelson was not.
‘Marco I want to thank you a lot you were really helpful,’ said Trump.