On Wednesday morning, after President Trump's trip Tuesday to Corpus Christi and Austin to monitor the response to Tropical Storm Harvey, the president tweeted a message of empathy for the great people of Texas.
It was a nice gesture. But his assertion that he witnessed the "horror & devastation" of Harvey "first hand" was curious, as the Washington bureau chief of The Dallas Morning News noted politely.
So a curious reporter asked White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders about it aboard Air Force One on Wednesday afternoon. "What did he mean by he had seen the horror and devastation firsthand?" the reporter asked. Sanders replied:
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He met with a number of state and local officials who are eating, sleeping, breathing the Harvey disaster. He talked extensively with the governor, who certainly is right in the midst of every bit of this, as well as the mayors from several of the local towns that were hit hardest. And detailed briefing information throughout the day yesterday, talking to a lot of the people on the ground — that certainly is a firsthand account. [White House]
That actually isn't the typical definition of a firsthand account, at least as it pertains to horror and devastation. But Trump cleared things up a bit on Instagram.
A post shared by President Donald J. Trump (@realdonaldtrump) on Aug 30, 2017 at 9:41am PDT
Presidents don't usually witness ongoing natural disasters firsthand because America takes presidential security very seriously and, on a related note, because a presidential motorcade would take away time and resources from police and other first responders who are trying to rescue people. You can read arguments for and against presidents ever visiting disaster areas at The Week.
-
An introvert's dream? Flu camps that offer £4,400 to spend two weeks aloneUnder The Radar A fortnight in isolation may not be as blissful as it sounds
-
Can Trump put his tariffs on stronger legal footing?Today's Big Question Appeals court says 'emergency' tariffs are improper
-
Film reviews: The Roses, Splitsville, and TwinlessFeature A happy union devolves into domestic warfare, a couple's open marriage reaps chaos, and an unlikely friendship takes surprising turns
-
US kills 11 on 'drug-carrying boat' off VenezuelaSpeed Read Trump claimed those killed in the strike were 'positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists' shipping drugs to the US
-
Trump vows to send federal forces to Chicago, BaltimoreSpeed Read The announcement followed a California judge ruling that Trump's LA troop deployment was illegal
-
Trump crypto token launch earns family billionsSpeed Read The World Liberty Financial token is now the Trump family's 'most valuable asset'
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revoltSpeed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich throwerSpeed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodusSpeed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official saysSpeed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judgesSpeed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
