Trump calls reporter ‘evil’ for asking if Texas flood warnings went out in time

President Donald Trump after visiting Texas flood victims called a reporter ‘evil’ for asking if weather alerts went out on time and if lives could have been saved.

Trump ripped the CBS News journalist during a roundtable with state officials and first responders on Friday, a week after the Guadalupe River flooded and killed more than 100 people.

‘Only a bad person would ask a question like that,’ he said on Friday afternoon.

‘Only a very evil person would ask a question like that.’

He said that ‘everyone did an incredible job under the circumstances’, and that flooding of that level has only happened about once in a thousand years.

His response emphasised how unexpected the flooding was, over looking into whether preventative measures that could have been taken.

Kerr County officials sought state funding for a flood warning system at least three times from 2017 to 2024 and were denied by Texas, The New York Times reported. Meanwhile, the federal government provided billions of dollars for similar disaster-reduction projects, including $1.9billion Texas that state officials divvied up at their discretion.

During the roundtable, Trump offered nothing but praise for the response.

Representative Chip Roy quickly backed the president, saying the reporter’s question was ‘ridiculous’.

Trump said the Texas flooding devastation was ‘hard to believe’, after he and his wife Melania surveyed the area and spoke with victims’ families.

The president said the Guadalupe River became a ‘monster’ when it rose 26 feet in less than 45 minutes.

‘Well, this is a tough one,’ he said.

‘It’s hard to believe the devastation.’

He said trees that were 100 years old ripped out of the ground.

‘I’ve never seen anything like it,’ he said.

‘I’ve seen a lot of bad ones. I’ve gone to a lot of hurricanes, a lot of tornadoes. I’ve never seen anything like this. This is a bad one.’

The president described the disaster as ‘a little narrow river that becomes a monster’.

He added that his wife really wanted to visit and is a ‘very special woman’.

Melania expressed her sympathy to parents who lost their children and showed a bracelet that was gifted to her from the Camp Mystic community, which lost more than two dozen girls and staff.

‘We just met with the wonderful families, we prayed with them, we hugged, we held hands. They shared their stories and I met beautiful young ladies,’ she said.

They gave me this special bracelet from the camp in honor of all of the little girls that lost their lives, so we are here to honor them and also to give them support, help.

‘And I will be back.’

Senator Ted Cruz, who joined the Trumps in the tour, described a Camp Mystic cabin that was for ‘the littlest girls’ and now has 17 crosses at the front.

‘I sat there, crying,’ said Cruz.

Donald and Melania had a rare display of affection while departing the White House to visit flood victims.

Melania sat with her arms resting on the table with the sign, ‘Texas Strong’.

Donald put his arm around Melania’s back and she immediately did the same, and they walked on the South Lawn together to board Marine One on Friday morning.

The president wore a dark blue suit and white dress shirt with no tie. The first lady wore olive jeans and an olive shirt with a khaki jacket and Converse sneakers.

Before leaving, the president told reporters: ‘It’s a terrible thing, but we’re going to be there with some of the great families and others, the governor, everybody.’

A week after river flooding and heavy rain in the Hill Country, at least 150 people are still missing.

The Trumps landed at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio in the early afternoon and made their way to Kerrville, along with Cruz.

Upon arriving, the three looked at a large map and received a briefing from emergency response officials while standing next to uprooted trees and a Kerrville Fire Department truck.

Donald and Melania, wearing white USA and black baseball caps respectively, also posed and smiled for photos with local first responders.

Heavy rains caused the Guadalupe River in Kerr County to swell and sweep away and kill at least 121 people, including more than two dozen children at the Camp Mystic girls Christian camp.

Kerr County commissioner Jeff Holt welcomed Trump’s visit.

‘He’s here to pledge his federal support like he already has with FEMA,’ Holt said, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

‘That’s important as a leader to be where the point of friction is. That’s what a leader does.’

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