President Donald Trump held a cabinet meeting on Tuesday — it's actually still going on as I write this — and as they have been so far, this one is open and interesting to watch, a refreshing change from years past. The team led it off with talk of the devastating flooding in Texas that has left over 100 people dead and many still missing. Unlike the vile comments from many on the left — ranging from blaming Trump for the disaster to wishing any Trump supporter involved dead — this conversation was serious, emotional, and heartfelt.
First of all, the president announced that he and first lady Melania Trump will travel down to Texas on Friday. He's waiting a few days so that he doesn't "get in the way" or take attention away from the ongoing search for those who are still missing. He also asked Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to speak on what she's witnessed and experienced while helping state and local officials respond to the disaster.
"Texas is strong, and the people of Texas are incredibly strong," she began. "They've gone through something that is absolutely horrific, and it is heartbreaking to watch these families suffer the way that they are."
She went on to talk about some of the technical aspects of the government response, but it was the stories she told of the people on the ground that caught my attention. The ones who lost so much. The ones who gave up their time and risked their lives to save others. And especially the ones who fell into both categories.
"I was surprised when I got there at the camp that day, right after this happened, the parents that were there looking for their children and picking up their daughters' stuffed animals out of the mud, and finding their daughter's shoe that might be laying in the cabin, and just hugging and comforting people matters a lot," she said.
And then she added something I found poignant:
I'm extremely grateful for God's hand in that whole situation because hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people were saved. And this is a time for all of us in this country to remember that we were created to serve each other. God created us to take care of each other. And that when we do that, we are happier, we are more fulfilled, and we can walk alongside people on their worst day and help them get through it and come out the other side knowing that we can continue to live a life that God has purposed for us.
The president agreed. Noem went on to tell him how grateful the people she spoke to were for him. She told of how he and Melania were on the phone with her constantly, asking what the people needed and how they could help. She also told of how Franklin Graham called in and prayed with the families who were waiting at a church to identify their children's bodies.
.@Sec_Noem gives updates on the response to the devastating flooding in Texas:
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 8, 2025
"Texas is strong and the people of Texas are incredibly strong... We still are looking for people... They will continue until they find every single person and we will continue to help them." pic.twitter.com/7vK4iK27oX
At one point, Trump prompted her to tell the story of a father she met while in Texas. It was a small gesture that he remembered this man, but it felt like a reminder that the president truly cares about others. Noem, who was obviously emotional, obliged:
I had walked through the cabin where all the little girls died, and I had kind of fallen apart in there, but I walked out of the cabin, and a gentleman was standing there and he said, 'That man over there needs a hug.' And so I walked over to him and I hugged him and I said, 'Do you work here?' And he said, 'No. My little girl was in that cabin.' And he said, 'And I just found her best friend about an hour and a half ago. She had passed away.' And he just fell apart. And so then we just hugged and talked for probably an hour about that.
She went on to tell of a grandfather there looking for his granddaughter, as well as the father of one of the brave counselors who tried to save the girls in her care but lost two of them.
The counselor was alive, but she was dealing with the fact that she had hung on to some of these girls and was trying to keep them out of the floodwaters and had gotten hit by something and had lost two of the girls and wasn't able to hang on to them and was gonna live the rest of her life thinking about that moment when she wasn't able to hang on to these girls.
Noem spoke of parents picking their children's belongings out of the mud. One father found a dress and said he remembered it belonged to his daughter's best friend. She also mentioned that the camp director, despite having lost his own father, was there comforting and facilitating among the parents as they grieved and searched for their kids and the kids' belongings.
.@Sec_Noem tells the heartbreaking story of meeting the father of a little girl lost in the Texas flood:
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 8, 2025
"These parents were picking up these kids' belongings out of the mud... the strength of people is incredible."
"One of the things that I asked... was that they all have… pic.twitter.com/iau4IgBbvF
Secretary Noem painted quite a picture of what's really going on in Texas as opposed to what the mainstream media and many on the left are reporting. She pointed out how everyone, from President Trump to the Coast Guard to everyday citizens, has come together to deal with an unthinkable natural disaster, and how she and the president will continue doing whatever is needed to bring comfort and hope to the people of Texas.
I'll give them a little time since it just happened, but I'm going to bet that the fake news doesn't report on much if any of this. But we will. At PJ Media, we cut through the liberal bias and bring you the truth of what's going on in this country. Help us fight. Become part of the resistance.
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