President Donald Trump travels to Texas on Friday amid rising questions on how native officers responded to the devastating floods, in addition to questions in regards to the federal response — together with the destiny of the Federal Emergency Administration Company — that he has to this point averted.
Trump’s go to comes every week after heavy rainfall induced the Guadalupe River in Kerr County to rise 26 toes in lower than an hour, killing not less than 121, together with dozens of kids on the close by Christian summer season camp, Camp Mystic.
He and first woman Melania Trump are visiting flood-affected areas, in response to a press release from the primary woman’s workplace. The 2 left the White Home on Friday morning, with the president stopping to take some questions from reporters.
“It is a horrible factor. A horrible factor. No person may even consider it,” Trump mentioned of the catastrophic flash flooding.
“However we’ll be there with a number of the nice households and others, the governor, everyone,” he added.
Donald Trump speaks to the press earlier than boarding Marine One on the South Garden of the White Home in Washington, DC, on July 11, 2025.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP by way of Getty Photos
The seek for greater than 170 individuals nonetheless lacking continues with greater than 2,100 responders on the bottom in Kerr County from native, state and federal businesses.
In the meantime, native officers are beneath scrutiny about what steps have been taken to adequately warn individuals and the way lengthy it took for authorities to take motion primarily based on escalating climate and different alerts.
Trump, notably, hasn’t engaged in comparable criticism about how the disaster was dealt with — as he has performed within the case of different disasters.
“I might simply say it is a hundred-year disaster, and it is simply so horrible to observe,” Trump mentioned on Sunday.
Donald Trump and Melania Trump stroll to Marine One on the South Garden of the White Home in Washington, DC, on July 11, 2025.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP by way of Getty Photos
As an alternative, Trump has largely targeted on his relationship with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott — a Republican and powerful ally of the president.
“We have been in contact with Gov. Abbott, I am very near Gov. Abbott, and everyone in Texas,” Trump mentioned on Sunday.
It is a marked distinction to how Trump has reacted previously, together with to the California wildfires earlier this yr, the place he blasted California’s Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and different native Democratic officers.
A number of the hardest-hit areas of central Texas, together with Kerr County, are areas of sturdy Republican help that voted for Trump within the 2024 election.
Trump authorized a serious catastrophe declaration for Texas earlier this week.
Abbott mentioned throughout a information convention on Tuesday that he spoke with Trump that morning and acquired assurances that help can be offered.
“He couldn’t cease speaking about how unhappy he was for all of the little ladies who’ve misplaced their lives,” Abbott mentioned. “He recounted his personal understanding of what occurred with what was actually a tsunami wave, a wall of water, that swept too a lot of them away.”
“And he cares quite a bit about these younger girls. And he desires to step up and ensure that any want that we have now right here in Texas goes to be met in a short time,” Abbott continued.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks throughout a press convention, July 8, 2025, after touring injury from flash flooding in Hunt, Texas.
Hand Hartman/AP
The White Home has pushed again closely on criticism of the administration’s cuts to the Nationwide Climate Service, which led to some to query if staffing ranges or forecasting talents have been impacted.
“Blaming President Trump for these floods is a wicked lie, and it serves no objective throughout this time of nationwide mourning,” White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned from the briefing room podium on Monday.
Trump’s additionally averted answering questions on whether or not he’s nonetheless aiming to section out FEMA.
Division of Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem, mentioned the federal response to the floods throughout a Cupboard assembly on Tuesday.
“We as a federal authorities do not handle these disasters, the state does,” Noem contended. “We are available and help them. And that is precisely what we did right here on this state of affairs. FEMA went to an enhanced degree instantly. However as quickly as you signed the foremost catastrophe declaration, we have been capable of get them sources and {dollars} instantly, identical to you envisioned by means of state lot grants to assist them with cleanup. And we’re nonetheless there in presence.”
A car drives by means of a highway flooded by the waters of the Guadalupe River, in Hunt, Texas, July 9, 2025.
Umit Bektas/Reuters
Later within the week, although, Noem went after FEMA in the course of the Biden and different earlier administrations — alleging the company has suffered from “gross mismanagement and negligence.”
“The checklist of well-known failures is staggering,” Noem claimed in feedback to the FEMA Advisory Council, a job pressure designed to advocate reforms to the company, together with potential dismantlement of the company because it exists right now. Trump appointed Abbott as a brand new member to the group again in April.
Appearing FEMA Administrator David Richardson had but to go to the affected areas in Texas as of Thursday afternoon.
ABC Information’ Luke Barr and Kelsey Walsh contributed to this report.
