Shortly after accepting the resignation of his campaign manager Paul Manafort on Friday morning, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump made an impromptu visit to tour some of the many ravaged areas of South Louisiana on Friday morning with running mate Mike Pence. Residents and volunteers in Greenwell Springs, just north of the state capitol of Baton Rouge, received Trump with a warm welcome as they continue to gut their damaged properties and begin the long recovery process. Trump and Pence helped unload donations from a truck and toured some of the destruction.
ABC reports that Trump also took the time to slam President Obama, who is facing criticism for continuing his vacation at Martha’s Vineyard — although the Associated Press reports that Governor John Bel Edwards requested that Obama wait to visit, so as not to distract police and first responders from recovery operations in order to provide VIP security.
Before meeting volunteers at the Greenwell Springs Baptist Church, Trump said, “The president says he doesn’t want to go; he is trying to get out of a golf game.” And Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council and Trump supporter, met with Trump and added, “I heard he wants to stay under par while we are under water.” Trump then made a jab about Obama’s golfing game: “He will never be under par.”
Obama did declare much of the state a federal disaster and freed up emergency resources. Current reports reveal that approximately 40,000 homes have been destroyed and reveal that the death toll has reached 13. For the most part, flood victims have been relying on friends, family, state agencies, and volunteers to help the recovery process. NOLA.com also reports that “Hillary Clinton has called Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards to discuss the state’s devastating flooding and says the state’s relief effort can’t afford any distractions.”
Governor Edwards, a Democrat, did not greet Trump today, but a spokesman from governor’s office warned Trump to do more than pose for a photo-op for political gain. “Donald Trump hasn’t called the governor to inform him of his visit,” a spokesman for Edwards’ office said in a statement Thursday evening. “We welcome him to Louisiana but not for a photo-op. Instead we hope he’ll consider volunteering or making a sizable donation to the LA Flood Relief Fund to help the victims of the storm.”
At the very least, Trump has helped keep the situation in the national spotlight. He also boosted the morale of those who are affected by these floods before he left Louisiana early in the afternoon and flew to Michigan.
(Via ABC News, WhiteHouse.gov & NOLA.com)