While visiting a disaster relief shelter in Houston, Trump claimed that Harvey victims who lost everything were happy and that the hurricane was a beautiful thing for the country to watch.
Video:
.@POTUS at Houston relief center: "As tough as this was," the response "has been a wonderful thing, I think, even for the country to watch." pic.twitter.com/ezvyCWujcQ
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) September 2, 2017
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Transcript via the White House Press Pool as provided to PoliticusUSA:
Asked what his message was for the people of Texas, Trump said: “The message is that things are working out well. Really, I think people appreciate what’s been done. It’s been done very efficiently, very well, and that’s what we want. We’re very happy with the way everything is going. A lot of love. There’s a lot of love.â€
Asked what families told him earlier when he visited with kids and their parents in a play area, Trump said: “They were just happy. We saw a lot of happiness. It’s been really nice. It’s been a wonderful thing. As tough as this was, it’s been a wonderful thing, I think even for the country to watch it and for the world to watch. It’s been beautiful.â€
People have lost everything. It is certain that they are not happy to be in a disaster relief center. The people in the center aren’t having a good time. This isn’t a party or a reality television show. It’s real life for people who are lucky to be alive but lost everything due to flooding.
Harvey wasn’t a beautiful thing to watch. The American people did not sit back and enjoy seeing the fourth largest city in the country flooding. Trump talks about this disaster like it is over, but there will decades of recovery ahead for the city.
It is fair to question whether Trump’s knows what is real and what isn’t. People who lost everything aren’t happy, and there is nothing beautiful to watch about a deadly hurricane that took innocent lives.
Trump went to Texas looking for good publicity, but all he did was prove that he is the most out of touch president in a century.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
