President Trump visited Louisiana and Texas on Saturday to survey the damage caused by former Hurricane Laura, which killed 16 people after making landfall near the states' border Category 4 storm before weakening this week, per AP.
The big picture: Trump said while visiting Lake Charles that he wanted to "support the great people of Louisiana." "It's been a great state for me," he said, adding Louisiana would rebuild "fast." Anti-Trump Republican group the Lincoln Project tweeted video of him joking with locals after signing an autograph, "Sell it tonight on eBay. $10,000."
Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/mMQngpO51Q
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) August 29, 2020
- Trump has "sometimes struggled with his role as consoler in chief," AP notes, pointing to examples including a 2018 Carolinas visit in which he told a family after a yacht washed onto their property during a flood, "At least you got a nice boat out of the deal." But he also comforted Alabama families after a deadly 2019 tornado.
Trump with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (C) at an emergency operation center in Orange, Texas. Photo: Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
Trump joins National Guard troops in Lake Charles. He spent some two hours in the city. Photo: Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
Trump bows his head as he joins aid distribution workers for a prayer at a local warehouse in Lake Charles. Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
Trump surveys the damage caused by Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles. Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
Supporters wave to the Trump's convoy as he arrives at the Chennault International Airport in Lake Charles. Photo: Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images