Analysis: Trump’s visit looks good, but the real work of recovery falls to others

Sept. 16--Thanks to Hurricane Irma, political firepower in unprecedented magnitude poured into Collier County this week.

But what effect, if any, that firepower will have in terms of expediting the government response to the disaster remains to be seen.

Donald Trump's quick foray Thursday into an East Naples manufactured-home community that was both heavily damaged and conveniently located is the only time in recent memory a sitting president has visited Collier County to witness the aftermath of a disaster.

Add to his presence a joint tour of the region by U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio, who made multiple stops in the eastern part of the county Wednesday.

The county's two representatives in the U.S. House, Francis Rooney and Mario Diaz-Balart, accompanied Trump to Naples Estates, as did Gov. Rick Scott and a handful of state legislators. Trump's visit drew by far the most attention, as one would expect.

But the real value of visits from federal elected officials probably lies with the legislators, who can focus more on their constituents' problems and bring consistent pressure to bear on the bureaucrats in charge of responding.

All four of the area's elected representatives in Congress vowed to do precisely that.

Trump's visit, amounting to about 30 minutes of passing out sandwiches, shaking hands and offering praise and support, is clearly more symbolic. Yes, he can sign bills authorizing expenditures and issue dictates to department heads. But he's also consumed by North Korea, tax reform, DACA, Hurricane Harvey and a dozen other issues that can command his attention at any time.

In a sense, Trump was in a no-win situation, coming to the disaster area as he did.

Critics will question whether the drain on local law enforcement required to protect the president was worth it, considering the other demands they face.

The venue chosen also offers ammunition to detractors.

Naples Estates was damaged, to be sure, but to see the full effect of Hurricane Irma, he'd need to go to Immokalee or Everglades City.

But Immokalee is not Trump territory. He garnered less than 20 percent of the vote there in 2016. He wouldn't want to risk an unfavorable reception.

Everglades City would be considered friendly ground. He got more than two-thirds of the votes cast there. But while the president could have been airlifted into the disaster zone, moving the press entourage accompanying him to the site would be a logistical nightmare. Less of a photo op.

So, there he was in Naples Estates, Gov. Rick Scott by his side, surveying damage in a community where he got 64 percent of the vote. He bantered with the residents as they came through the food line, eliciting at least one "Make America Great Again" shout from a resident/supporter.

Trump supporters will point to the moment as an example of leadership and inspiration. The trip in and out of Southwest Florida may be more valuable to him than the time on the ground. From above, he could get a sense of the flooding and structural damage in hard-hit areas of southern Lee County.

Had Trump toured the area only by air, or not visited at all, his critics were apt to paint him as callous to the region's suffering or just out of touch.

The presidential response to a disaster can pose a difficult balancing act for the president; just ask George W. Bush post-Katrina.

One thing a presidential visit does is take the focus off the other elected leaders.

Earlier in the week, Rooney called the president of Florida Power and Light directly to get power restored to a neighborhood health clinic that was without electricity, with scant notice.

Nelson and Rubio moved about the disaster zone without any reporters accompanying them.

Doing so, they could jointly assess the situation without worrying about the optics of legislators from opposing parties agreeing on fundamental questions beyond politics.

"He's a Republican and I'm a Democrat and we get along," Nelson told faculty and staff at Ave Maria on Wednesday.

Nelson described some of the impacts he'd seen touring the affected area.

"Half of the citrus crop is on the ground," he said. "That's another economic hit on the state."

Rubio talks about the impact the storm is going to have beyond the immediate aftermath.

A small business, a sandwich shop, for instance, that has to close for four or five days might not be able to survive without the cash flow, Rubio surmised.

"There's a lot of long-term pain that is going to be felt," he said.

Pain that a quick visit from the president can do only so much to ease.

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