President Trump tells storm victims to ‘have a good time’ and casually asks about area where he owns golf course while visiting Carolinas

New York Daily News, The (NY)

Sept. 19--President Trump didn't toss paper towels into a crowd, but he did tell victims of Hurricane Florence on Wednesday to "have a good time" after asking officials about an area of North Carolina where he owns a golf course.

Trump handed out Styrofoam containers of hot dogs and offered kind words of encouragement to residents of some of the hardest hit towns in the Carolinas as he took in the devastation caused by the catastrophic storm first hand.

"How's the house?" he could be heard asking one person. "You take care of yourself," he said.

Trump told another person who waited over an hour for the packaged meal to "have a good time."

The President made similar comments to survivors after Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto RIco and Hurricane Harvey swept through Texas.

At least 37 deaths have been attributed to the Florence, which made landfall last Friday and led to days of rain and flooding in coastal areas in both North and South Carolina. Thousands of evacuees have been urged to stay away from their homes as rivers continued to rise and flooding remains a concern.

Ahead of touring areas around New Bern, N.C., Trump pledged to help those affected by the storm during a briefing with federal and local officials.

"We will be there 100 percent" following flooding he described as "epic" and "hard to believe."

"There will be nothing left undone," he added.

The President also not-so-subtly asked specifically about an area in North Carolina where he owns a golf course.

"How is Lake Norman doing?" Trump asked. "I love that area. I can't tell you why, but I love that area."

Trump National Golf Club is located in Mooresville, next to Lake Norman.

The President's past attempts at empathy have been routinely panned.

Last year, Trump was widely criticized following a trip to Puerto Rico in which he lobbed rolls of paper towels at survivors as if her were shooting basketballs into a net.

In Houston following Harvey, Trump told victims that despite the widespread devastation, his administration's response had been a "wonderful thing." He also repeated his call for victims to "have a good time."

On Wednesday, Trump posed for photographs and walked along a street strewn with piles of trash and other debris.

Trump stopped at one point to gaze at a large yacht that had washed ashore and wedged into a home on a residential street.

"Is this your boat?" he asked an older man in a t-shirt.

The homeowner shook his head and said "no."

"At least you got a nice boat out of the deal," Trump said with a smile.

Further south, Wilmington, a city of 120,000, remained an island as flood waters continued to rise around the small metropolis.

Gov. Roy Cooper warned that the flooding is far from over and could get worse in some areas.

"I know for many people this feels like a nightmare that just won't end," he said.

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