Donald Trump sought to preempt the media response to his handling of hurricane relief in a series of tweets early this morning that touted his administration’s efforts to deal with the storm.
Great coordination between agencies at all levels of government. Continuing rains and flash floods are being dealt with. Thousands rescued.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017
Many people are now saying that this is the worst storm/hurricane they have ever seen. Good news is that we have great talent on the ground.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017
This is fine as far as it goes. But, as Mashable points out, the president sounded something of a discordant note during the crisis.
It’s gotten so bad, in fact, that the National Weather Service issued a warning to Houston residents at 4:16 a.m. ET: if the highest floors in your home become uninhabitable, take refuge on the roof rather than your attic.
Trump’s tweet came several hours later, though it wasn’t the first tweet of the day from a president who woke up to a devastating natural disaster. Roughly 20 minutes before Trump’s Harvey-related tweet — which, you should note, makes no mention of the situation in Houston at all — he tweeted this…
A great book by a great guy, highly recommended! https://t.co/3jbDDN8YmJ
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017
Clarke is a controversial figure in the law enforcement community, often getting a mention in the same breath as the former sheriff, Joe Arpaio, whom Trump recently — and controversially — pardoned. As with the pardon, the weather disaster provides Trump with cover as he boosts divisive personalities.
Not much cover, mind you. Ever-attentive Twitter users spotted Trump’s pro-Clarke tweet and called out the highly questionable timing.
They’re telling people to climb onto their rooftops in Houston and this jackass is tweeting about a book. #houstonfloodhttps://t.co/lDuS0RgTgM
— Justin Yandell (@ShotgunZen) August 27, 2017
If this is the worst the media can do to him, Trump is in pretty good shape.
Nevertheless, the National Weather Service is saying that the worst is yet to come. Over the next few days flood waters will continue to rise in Houston, potentially causing billions of dollars in damage. This will test the resources of the federal government to its limits. But coordination between local, state, and federal officials appears to be adequate at this point.
In truth, there is going to be criticism of Trump no matter how well the situation is being handled. It is, after all, a natural disaster and snafus are bound to show up as the situation changes.
But Trump will not be vouchsafed any leeway by the media or his political opponents. They will ferret out one resident or another or some Democratic politician who will complain about the lack of response, offering this as “proof” that Trump has failed.
This is how the media game is played in the age of Trump.
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