Trump signed hats and shook hands, but turned down a plate of jambalaya.
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“Somebody is, somebody is that shouldn’t be”, Trump replied without mentioning Obama by name. He spent several hours in the state, touring areas that had been damaged by flooding.
Jimmy Morgan, 79, and his wife Olive shared a few moments with Trump outside their badly-damaged Denham Springs, La., home.
Exactly two years ago, President Obama was subject to much criticism after immediately returning to a Martha’s Vineyard golf course after delivering brief remarks about the ISIS beheading of journalist James Foley.
“We knew you would be here for us!” another shouted.
Trump landed Friday morning at the Baton Rouge airport and was met on the tarmac by Republicans Rep. Steve Scalise, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser and Attorney General Jeff Landry. “It’s going to be so attractive”. A crowd of supporters near a local Baptist church where volunteers have gathered to feed flood victims cheered the pair.
“Record flooding across Louisiana has killed at least 13 people”.
Obama is scheduled to leave the Vineyard on Sunday, so the announcement of his visit to Louisiana does not mean he will be cutting his trip short like some have demanded.
Trump’s new campaign manager Kellyanne Conway suggested that the visit was part of a larger effort, like his speech on Thursday, to pivot to a more presidential phase.
Mr. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, toured the flood zone Friday and said Mr. Obama should do so, too.
Pence had rearranged schedule to attend groundbreaking on new state mental hospital, but “urgently called back to nat’l stage”. Gov. John Bel Edwards has defended the president, saying that the federal government has been very responsive and that Obama’s visit would disrupt flood relief efforts. We welcome him to LA 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 this storm”, Edwards spokesman Richard Carbo said in a statement.
The disaster evoked the specter of Hurricane Katrina, as many who fled New Orleans in 2005 sought refuge in Baton Rouge and rebuilt their lives – only to be chased once again by unceasing, unsparing water.
“It is good Trump and Pence are going to Louisiana to help fellow Americans who are in pain”, former House speaker Newt Gingrich tweeted.
After coordinating with Louisiana officials on an appropriate time to visit, it was decided the President will visit Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Tuesday, August 23rd.
Edwards said he was fine with Obama’s absence, adding that he is in daily contact with the White House about the situation.
“He added that while the president can visit whenever he’d like, he’d prefer him to wait “a week or two” because such visits require local police and first responders to help block roads and provide security”, ABC News noted.
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“I’ve seen refrigerators floating down the street, my air conditioning unit is somewhere we don’t know where that’s at, haven’t been to the basement it’s still floated, everything is gone in the basement, the freezer, the washer, the dryer, everything”, Fish told ABC57.
