
U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden playing golf on the White House’s lawn.
On Aug. 19, GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump along with Indiana Gov. Mike Spence flew to Greenwell Springs in flood-stricken Louisiana, to tour the badly hit area by what is now considered the worst natural disaster in America over the last four years.
Trump met with local authorities and residents at a local church where he put his autograph on his supporters’ hats and T-shirts and visited the city’s flood-ravaged streets. The businessman-turned-politician also spoke briefly with emergency crews inside Greenwell Springs Baptist Church before greeting the horde of supporters eagerly waiting for him outside.
“We knew you’d be here, Mr. Trump! We knew you would be here for us!,”
a woman from the crowd said.
Another Trump fan said that although the city lost nearly everything it “makes it all worthwhile” since Trump was there.
The short visit sparked more criticism directed at President Barack Obama who reportedly refused to visit the flood-ravaged state even though he had been briefed on the situation.
President Obama is currently on vacation with his family and is expected to return home Sunday. When he received the news from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, he was reportedly on a golf course in Martha’s Vineyard, in MA.
On Wednesday, he showed no intention of calling off his vacation plans to visit Louisiana. He pledged, however, to make a short trip next week.
Conservative critics blasted the U.S. president for his lack of interest in the tragedy, but the White House said that the president’s presence in the region would only disturb rescue efforts. The same excuse was put forth by former President George Bush Jr.’s staffers in face of criticism, when he failed to visit New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, critics said.
According to the Red Cross, this summer’s flood that has swept large swaths of Louisiana is the worst natural disaster since 2012, when Superstorm Sandy ravaged the nation.
- Reportedly, 11 people lost their lives and 40,000 homes were affected by the waters.
- Federal funds were directed to 20 parishes, authorities said.
Although President Obama approved the necessary measures for disaster relief by phone, he was criticized for not interrupting vacation for at least one day to visit Louisiana.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee told him in an open letter that if rains were to force him cancel a golf game, maybe he would decide to pay a visit to Huckabee’s friends in Louisiana.
Image Source: Wikimedia
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