Trump talked about everything but hurricanes at his FEMA hurricane preparedness meeting
While meeting with Federal Emergency Management Agency officials Wednesday, President Trump offered a few brief words about hurricane preparedness and Puerto Rico. But he had a lot to say about, well, everything else.
The Washington Post obtained audio of the private meeting, which demonstrated Trump's meandering stream of consciousness while operating without a script. The meeting was ostensibly to prepare for the 2018 hurricane season, which began this month, but Trump only briefly mentioned Puerto Rico, where more than 4,500 people are believed to have died in the aftermath of September's Hurricane Maria. The Post said that Trump didn't mention the victims, instead praising the response to the disaster.
The president quickly moved on from the topic of hurricanes, saying "we'll maybe make a deal" with North Korea during Tuesday's summit in Singapore. "Maybe and maybe not. Who knows?" He commented on the California elections, bragging that "we won every seat that I endorsed" and analyzing the polls that he's "not sure" he believes.
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Trump also oddly focused on airplane price negotiations, complaining that the military unnecessarily wants all-new aircraft equipment that can be pricey. Without evidence, he claimed that he managed to bring plane prices down "by millions of dollars." Read more of Trump's off-topic comments, ranging from coal companies to Apple to his popularity, at The Washington Post.
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Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
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