As Hurricane Harvey's Aftermath Slams Texas, Trump Tweets A Storm Of Self-Congratulations And Grievances

Marina Fang
Updated

As severe flooding threatened Texas residents in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, President Donald Trump on Sunday focused on the “wonderful” response by government officials to the storm while marveling at the disaster’s scope.

Trump spent much of the weekend assuring Americans that he was following the storm, posting self-congratulatory tweets and boasting about the “great talent on the ground.”

“So far, so good!” Trump tweeted at Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Saturday, after the lawmaker warned that the storm presented a critical moment for the president, citing the poor response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 by then-President George W. Bush’s administration.

Later on Sunday evening, Trump issued another, similar tweet thanking no one in particular.

Although Hurricane Harvey has been downgraded to a tropical storm, heavy rainfall from it is expected to last for days and the Houston area braced for the prospect of catastrophic flooding. The National Weather Service reported at least five fatalities in the region.

According to Trump’s weekend schedule, he has been monitoring the storm from his Camp David retreat, receiving regular updates from authorities. But it was clear from his tweets that Trump’s priorities were not entirely on the disaster.

On Sunday, Trump announced via Twitter that he would visit Texas “as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption.” Yet he immediately tweeted that he would also visit Missouri.

He bragged that Missouri is “a wonderful state...that I won by a lot” in the 2016 election, and he politicized the visit by predicting that a Republican would defeat its Democratic U.S. senator, Claire McCaskill, who is up for re-election next year.

Among Trump’s other missives on Sunday morning: reiterating that Mexico would provide reimbursements for his long-promised border wall and charging that Mexico and Canada are “being very difficult” in negotiations to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement. He also asserted that NAFTA was the “worst trade deal ever made”.

He even found time to plug a book by ardent supporter David Clarke, the sheriff of Milwaukee County who runs a jail where the deaths last year of four persons ― including a newborn ― have raised concerns about its operations.

On Friday evening, while Hurricane Harvey was about to make landfall, Trump used the opportunity to unleash a storm of other news, spurring questions about whether he deliberately timed the actions to keep the spotlight off them.

He quietly issued a memo outlining guidance on enforcing his decision to ban transgender people from serving in the military. He also pardoned Joe Arpaio, the former Arizona sheriff who had been found in contempt of court for violating a judge’s order stemming from a racial profiling case. Notwithstanding Hurricane Harvey, Trump’s pardon of Arpaio spurred fierce criticism, including from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Despite Trump’s emphasis of how well various government entities had responded to Hurricane Harvey, FEMA administrator Brock Long on Sunday warned that recovery efforts had only just begun, characterizing the disaster as “a storm that the United States has not seen yet.”

“FEMA is going to be [in Texas] for years,” Long told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “This disaster is going to be a landmark event.”

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Steve Culver cries with his dog Otis as he talks about what he said was the, 'most terrifying event in his life,' when Hurricane Harvey blew in and destroyed most of his home while he and his wife took shelter there on in Rockport.
Steve Culver cries with his dog Otis as he talks about what he said was the, 'most terrifying event in his life,' when Hurricane Harvey blew in and destroyed most of his home while he and his wife took shelter there on in Rockport.
Ofelia Castro leads her grandchildren across a flooded street as they continue an hours long trek from their flooded house in the Edgewood area of South Houston to a relatives apartment miles away.
Ofelia Castro leads her grandchildren across a flooded street as they continue an hours long trek from their flooded house in the Edgewood area of South Houston to a relatives apartment miles away.
Aaron Tobias who said he lost everything stands in what is left of his home in Rockport. Mr. Tobias said he was able to get his wife and kids out before the storm arrived but he stayed there and rode it out. 
Aaron Tobias who said he lost everything stands in what is left of his home in Rockport. Mr. Tobias said he was able to get his wife and kids out before the storm arrived but he stayed there and rode it out. 
Damaged boats in a multi-level storage facility are seen in Rockport.
Damaged boats in a multi-level storage facility are seen in Rockport.
People gather supplies out of destroyed homes to take back to a shelter near City-By-The Sea, Texas.
People gather supplies out of destroyed homes to take back to a shelter near City-By-The Sea, Texas.
A destroyed laundromat is seen in Rockport.
A destroyed laundromat is seen in Rockport.
A destroyed apartment complex is seen on Aug. 26, 2017, after Hurricane Harvey passed through Rockport, Texas.
A destroyed apartment complex is seen on Aug. 26, 2017, after Hurricane Harvey passed through Rockport, Texas.
Donna Raney is helped out of the window by Lee Guerrero and Daisy Graham in Rockport.
Donna Raney is helped out of the window by Lee Guerrero and Daisy Graham in Rockport.
Valerie Brown walks through a flooded area after leaving her apartment in Rockport.
Valerie Brown walks through a flooded area after leaving her apartment in Rockport.
Charlie Company of the 4th Assault Amphibious Battalion, Marine Forces Reserve arrive at the Central Mall in Port Arthur, TX on Thursday night after running rescue missions in the hardest hit areas of town throughout the day.
Charlie Company of the 4th Assault Amphibious Battalion, Marine Forces Reserve arrive at the Central Mall in Port Arthur, TX on Thursday night after running rescue missions in the hardest hit areas of town throughout the day.
A Rockport firefighter goes door to door on a search and rescue mission as he looks for people who may need help.
A Rockport firefighter goes door to door on a search and rescue mission as he looks for people who may need help.
Rescue personnel help Hersey Kirk as she is airlifted into a rescue helicopter.
Rescue personnel help Hersey Kirk as she is airlifted into a rescue helicopter.
Jacque McKay walks through the apartment complex where she lives in Rockport.
Jacque McKay walks through the apartment complex where she lives in Rockport.
A damaged home is seen after Hurricane Harvey in Rockport. 
A damaged home is seen after Hurricane Harvey in Rockport. 
Damage is seen to a shopping center in Victoria, north and farther inland than Rockport.
Damage is seen to a shopping center in Victoria, north and farther inland than Rockport.
Damage is seen at a business near Rockport
Damage is seen at a business near Rockport
A damaged mobile home in Victoria.
A damaged mobile home in Victoria.
Damage to a hotel in Victoria.
Damage to a hotel in Victoria.
A business is damaged in Victoria. 
A business is damaged in Victoria. 
A light plane sits upside done at Rockport Airport. 
A light plane sits upside done at Rockport Airport. 
A sunken boat at Rockport Harbor. 
A sunken boat at Rockport Harbor. 
Destroyed houses in Rockport. 
Destroyed houses in Rockport. 
Light medium tactical vehicle's (LMTV) make their way through floodwaters near Bridge City in Texas.
Light medium tactical vehicle's (LMTV) make their way through floodwaters near Bridge City in Texas.
A car lies abandoned in Rockport. 
A car lies abandoned in Rockport. 
A police officer checks for survivors among destroyed houses in Rockport.
A police officer checks for survivors among destroyed houses in Rockport.
A gas station in Victoria.
A gas station in Victoria.
Damage to homes is seen near Rockport
Damage to homes is seen near Rockport
A sign on a Holiday Inn hotel in Victoria.
A sign on a Holiday Inn hotel in Victoria.
A burnt-out house that caught fire after Hurricane Harvey hit Corpus Christi.
A burnt-out house that caught fire after Hurricane Harvey hit Corpus Christi.
A house suffers roof damage in Corpus Christi. 
A house suffers roof damage in Corpus Christi. 

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.