Trump’s turn to face tricky politics of natural disasters
Now, President
Trump, who is suffering through a long stretch of low approval ratings, has been particularly eager to seize the moment. He will visit
"We will come out stronger and believe me, we will be bigger, better, stronger than ever before," Trump said Monday during a
The president's unconventional style has still oozed out. Trump sent about two dozen tweets about the storm since Friday, marveling at the size of the hurricane and cheering on emergency responders: "You are doing a great job — the world is watching!"
Indeed, he argued Monday he specifically timed his controversial pardon of former
Trump advisers are well-aware that the hurricane poses a significant test for the
Administrations often tread carefully in planning visits to disaster-ravaged areas. Mobilizing a president, his staff and his security is an enormous logistical undertaking and can pull local law enforcement resources away from the disaster recovery efforts. But Trump hasn't been cowed.
Aides said it was Trump who pushed for the
"Conditions haven't cleared in
The optics of a president's initial response to a natural disaster can be long-lasting.
Bush was haunted by his now-infamous declaration that then-FEMA Director
"He understands why that picture became a metaphor," said
Trump has played storm politics before. During his campaign, he rushed to
"We're glad you're not playing golf at
"Somebody is, somebody is that shouldn't be," Trump replied.
Over the weekend, Trump offered a sunny assessment of the response efforts while the rain was still pouring down on
On its own, a successful federal response to Hurricane Harvey is unlikely to reshape Trump's presidency. But with his approval rating perilously low, it could help Trump convince some Americans that he has the capability to lead the nation through difficult moments.
Trump's predecessors have also benefited from the political opportunities that can arise after natural disasters.
When Superstorm Sandy barreled across the
Obama advisers said then that while they didn't believe the president's Sandy efforts were a deciding factor in the election, the praise he received from
AP Polling Director
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