President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are on their way to Texas to survey the storm-ravaged Gulf and meet with relief providers.
They’ll make two flights, one to Corpus Christi and one to Austin, this afternoon before their return to Washington.
In both cities, they’ll receive briefings on the storm’s impact from area officials. At their second stop, in the state’s capital city, the president and first lady will tour the Texas public safety department’s emergency operations center.
The president and first lady left the White House this morning just after 8:30 am for Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, he in a windbreaker sporting the presidential seal, khaki pants and brown boots and she in all-black attire, save for an olive green windbreaker.
Unlike her husband, Melania Trump did not wear boots. The first lady went with classic black stilettos for the trip to Texas’ flood zone. She had on black aviators, as well.
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are on their way to Texas to survey the storm-ravaged Gulf and meet with relief providers
The president and first lady left the White House this morning just after 8:30 am for Joint Base Andrews in Maryland
The president was in a windbreaker sporting the presidential seal. He wore khaki pants and brown boots. The first lady was in all-black attire, save for an olive green windbreaker of her own
Trump promised on Monday to ‘take care’ of Texas and Louisiana as they face a ‘long and difficult road’ to recovery after floods triggered by Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey.
‘It’s the biggest ever. They are saying it is the biggest, it’s historic,’ Trump said, addressing reporters a day before traveling to the Lone Star State with First Lady Melania Trump.
He said at a press conference shortly after, ‘Nobody has ever seen anything like it.’
‘I’ve heard the words “epic,” I’ve heard “historic.” And that’s what it is.’
Trump said the nation will emerge bigger, better and stronger than ever after the storm that’s ransacking the Gulf.
President Donald Trump declared at a press conference that the nation will emerge bigger, better and stronger than ever after the storm ransacking southern Texas and Louisiana
‘We ask God for his wisdom and strength. We will get through this,’ Trump said. ‘The rebuilding will begin. And in the end it will be something very special.’
The US. president said residents of the region have shown incredible teamwork in a time of tragedy.
‘We are one American family. We hurt together, we struggle together. And believe me, we endure together,’ Trump proclaimed. ‘We are one family. To the people of Texas and Louisiana, we are 100 percent with you. ‘
Trump and wife Melania, the first lady, are due to arrive in southern Texas on Tuesday along with members of the president’s Cabinet.
They’ll visit an undeclared area in the Lone Star State that has already been impacted, Texas’ sitting governor said this morning, suggesting in his remarks that the plans involve Corpus Christi.
The president told reporters this afternoon during his Oval Office remarks that he he hasn’t decide which towns to survey, saying only that he will be ‘traveling throughout certain parts.’
At a news conference later, Trump offered his encouragement to those in the tropical storm’s path. At least eight people have died since it made landfall.
‘We’re praying for you, we’re working closely with your leaders and officials, and I will be visiting the impact zone tomorrow to ensure that you’re receiving full support and cooperation from the federal government,’ Trump said.
Trump has been eager to show he is on top of the situation, and that he will not make the same mistakes as previous presidents in botching the federal response.
‘Things are being handled really well, the spirit is incredible of the people and the coordination between all of the different services, as you know, has been going very well,’ he said.
er, Trump offered his encouragement to those in the tropical storm’s path. At least eight people have died since it made landfall
Trump’s trip to Texas comes much more quickly than other presidents may have dared. Along with a high-impact presidential trip comes the risk of hampering recovery efforts and tying up resources.
But the recently inaugurated president indicated he may make a return trip to the region this week.
‘We may actually go back on Saturday, depending on where the storm goes we may also go to Louisiana on Saturday.’
The road to recovery will be long and difficult, Trump admitted, although he later said to a reporter that he expected Congress to move swiftly on an appropriation of additional disaster relief funds.
Since the crisis began last Friday, Trump has seized on his role marshalling the federal response, issuing a disaster declaration for Texas and neighboring Louisiana and deploying 8,000 officials throughout the flood zone.
During a busy weekend, the White House released photos of the president – decked in a USA cap – huddling with aides, liaising with cabinet secretaries to discuss what he called a ‘once in 500 year flood’.
Trump’s remarks Monday on Hurricane Harvey were his first, aside from a string of tweets.
His split in focus between federal disaster relief for Texas and a host of other issues he delved into last weekend on Twitter came under scrutiny this weekend, but a senior U.S. official argued Monday morning that the president has the ability to multitask.
‘The president is very, very engaged. He knows exactly what’s going on,’ said Rick Perry, the energy secretary and the longest-serving governor in Texas’ history.
Trump ‘cares about his people greatly’ and would have traveled to the storm-battered state today, if he were able, Perry told Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade.
President Donald Trump’s split in focus between federal disaster relief for Texas and a host of other issues he delved into last weekend on Twitter are evidence of his ability to multitask, Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Monday
Trump is pictured during a conference call with his Cabinet receiving an update on Hurricane Harvey from the FEMA administrator and other national security officials
Trump and wife Melania, the first lady, are due to arrive in southern Texas on Tuesday along with members of the president’s Cabinet
The president will also make a trip to Missouri this week to push his tax reform proposal, the White House has said
‘Interestingly, Brian, he’s multitasking at the same time. He’s got a lot of other things going on as the President of the United States that he’s dealing with halfway around the world, right here in this country.’
The president will also make a trip to Missouri this week to push his tax reform proposal, the White House has said. Plans call for him to fly into Texas on Tuesday and Missouri on Wednesday.
He’s hosting the Finnish president today that White House. Their meetings concluded with a joint press conference, at which Trump gave his condolences to victims of the hurricane at the top.
Under the cover of Hurricane Harvey, Trump pardoned a controversial Arizona sheriff on Friday evening after arriving at Camp David, the official presidential retreat in Maryland, where he spent the weekend with his family while the vice president remained in Washington.
He sent numerous tweets over the weekend boosting the federal government’s efforts to assist state and local officials with Harvey and received updates twice from his Cabinet.
After a quiet Saturday, Trump sent a string of tweets Sunday morning on storm rescue efforts and other priorities of his, including tax cuts and the border wall.
‘I will be going to Texas as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption. The focus must be life and safety,’ Trump said in one of his earlier tweets.
Shortly thereafter, he targeted a Missouri senator facing a tough reelection battle in a tweet that said: ‘I will also be going to a wonderful state, Missouri, that I won by a lot in ’16. Dem C.M. is opposed to big tax cuts. Republican will win S!’
The president’s character-limited tweet made reference to Democrat Claire McCaskill, who’s seat in the Senate is up for grabs next fall.
Returning to the storm briefly, Trump then said that efforts are ‘going well.’ His next two tweets were attacks again, though, this time on Mexico.
‘With Mexico being one of the highest crime Nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other,’ he said. ‘We are in the NAFTA (worst trade deal ever made) renegotiation process with Mexico & Canada.Both being very difficult,may have to terminate?’
After a quiet Saturday, Trump sent a string of tweets Sunday morning on storm rescue efforts and other priorities of his, including tax cuts and the border wall
Perry insisted Monday morning on Fox that Trump is fulfilling his responsibilities to the people of Texas and Louisiana, which was also struck by the tropical storm.
‘This president is as engaged in a personal way as any president that I had the privilege to work with. He wants to come to Texas,’ he said.
Trump wanted to visit the Lone Star State today, the Texas Republican said, ‘but he realizes that this is too early.’
While he did not have definitive details on Trump’s trip, Perry said, ‘He’ll most likely be at one of the evacuation shelters.’
He wants to let people know the federal government is a partner in the state-led efforts, the Cabinet secretary explained.
Bringing up Trump’s trip to Missouri the following day, Perry added, ‘This is a president who can multitask. This is a president who cares about his people greatly and we’re seeing the reflection of that in his actions.’
Texas’ sitting governor, Greg Abbott, also a Republican, offered Trump a positive review for his handling of the crisis, as well, on Monday.
‘The engagement and response by the president, the White House, by his Cabinet and by FEMA have been actually remarkable,’ Abbott said.
Texas’ sitting governor, Greg Abbott, also a Republican, offered Trump a positive review for his handling of the crisis, as well on Monday
Trump’s administration touched base with him a week or two in advance of the storm, Abbott said, and has been in constant contact ever since.
‘And they’ve provided Texas everything that we need. Whenever Texas asks for anything, the answer has been ‘yes,’ ‘ he said. ‘We’ve been very pleased with their collaborative response.’
Appearing on CBS News on Monday morning, Abbott said that Trump would not be interfering with the state’s emergency outreach with his visit.
‘The place he will be going to will not be Houston, so he will not be getting into harm’s way or interrupting the evacuations or the emergency response in the Houston area,’ Abbott said, ‘He most likely will be going closer to where the hurricane hit land, and that’s where I will be going today to meet with the FEMA administrator Brock Long.’
Abbott’s characterization of Trump’s trip suggests the president will visit the Corpus Christi area. That’s where the hurricane made landfall.
Houston has been hit hit harder than expected by the storm, and Abbott said this morning that Dallas would be opening a mega-shelter that would be able to house 5,000 evacuees.
San Antonio is also operating an evacuee center, and the state today began running airlift operations out of Galveston to remove and relocate evacuees, he said.
‘This will be a devastating disaster, probably the worst disaster the state’s seen,’ Long, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told The Washington Post yesterday. ‘The recovery to this event is going to last many years to be able to help Texas and the people impacted by this event achieve a new normal.’
The state is already hosting 30,000 people in shelters. Another 450,000 will need government assistance.
Officials say 40-50 inches or rain could pile up on Texas’ coast. Conditions are expected to get worse over the next few days.
Houston has seen 25 inches already and could see 25 more by Saturday. By comparison the Texas city usually accumulates 50 inches of rain a year.
Vice President Mike Pence said later on Monday morning during an interview on a Houston-area radio show, ‘We’re saddened by the loss of life, and the President is anxious to come to the region tomorrow. The President and the First Lady will be there, along with a number of other Cabinet officials.’