President Donald Trump tweeted out a video speech declaring the country ‘totally united’ and vowing the nation would endure even as a Category 4 Hurricane Irma prepared to rip through Florida.
‘America stands united, and I mean totally united,’ Trump said.
The president released the video, which was shot in the White House, as Hurricane Irma was on track to hit the southern coast of Florida and then travel up the state, wreaking damage on coastal communities and widespread flooding.
‘We will endure and come back stronger than ever before,’ Trump vowed.
President Donald Trump released a White House video where he told the nation: ‘America stands united, and I mean totally united,’ as Hurricane Irma approaches
In the White House video, which Trump sent out to his millions of Twitter followers, Trump speaks right at the camera. The film abruptly cuts to a second camera for a side angle, then goes back to the president’s stern face again.
Trump also posted the video on Facebook, where it racked up more than 780,000 views after about an hour, and on Instagram, where it got another 250,000. His tweet quickly got 15,000 ‘likes’ and 5,000 retweets.
‘We see the kindness and the courage of our people,’ Trump says.
He called for prayers and expressed gratitude to the nation’s first responders.
He called Irma ‘a storm of ‘absolutely historic destructive potential.’
Trump, who as a longtime New Yorker saw mayors rise and fall based on how they handled storms and disasters, spoke in long cadences about how the nation would respond to a direct hit.
‘From Texas to Louisiana, from Florida to Puerto Rico, and always the U.S. Virgin Islands and everywhere in between that has been affected by these terrible storms, we will endure and come back stronger than ever before,’ Trump vowed.
PROFILE IN COURAGE: The video was shot from two different camera angles, including a shot from the president’s right
STRAIGHT TALK: The president looked back at the camera and vowed the nation would rebuild after the storm
The storm track could take Irma right up through the state of Florida
Florida residents flee Hurricane Irma as traffic backs up on I-75 at its intersection with the Florida Turnpike on Thursday
‘In times such as these we see the strength and the resolve of the American spirit and we see the kindness and the courage of our people,’ Trump said.
Trump sent out the video as he prepared to head to Camp David, with plans to monitor the storm’s path.
Customers buy supplies and wood to secure their property in preparation of Hurricane Irma early Friday in Miami, Florida
Trump stunned Republicans this week by cutting a deal with Democrats, allowing a recovery package to replenish disaster funds to clear the House on Friday.
The effort got total Democratic support, but split Republicans, with 133 GOP members voting for it and 90 voting against.
Trump also made efforts to seize the response to Hurricane Harvey before and after it hit, traveling twice to Texas to demonstrate his commitment.
President Donald Trump sent out the message to the nation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
President Donald Trump sent out the message to the nation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
President Donald Trump sent out the message to the nation on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
The president released the video as the entire southern tip of Florida was under evacuation orders.
The storm has the potential to do $125billion worth of damage when it strikes Miami – and possibly much more.
Millions are hitting the roads to get out of the eye of the storm, expected to make landfall Sunday morning in South Florida, with winds and storm surge as early as Saturday night.