Here's the latest in the Trump outrage industrial complex: since landing on Puerto Rico, Trump has made a number of disparaging comments about the extent of the disaster, acting pretty entitled. Trump expressed fiscal concerns: "I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but you are throwing our budget out of whack. We've spent a lot of money in Puerto Rico." [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/914465475777695744]] And worse, he has downplayed the death toll, which cannot be accurately measured due to the lack of death certificates. They can't be issued quickly enough to catch up. “If you look at the — every death is a horror, but if you look at a real catastrophe like Katrina and you look at the tremendous hundreds and hundreds of people that died and what happened here with a storm that was just totally overbearing. No one has ever seen anything like that. What is your death count?" Governor Ricardo Rosselló replied "Sixteen." Trump said they should be "very proud" and called the disaster response a "miracle". Yet, FEMA has still not authorized full disaster relief for Puerto Rico. So, we know this much about Trump: if you praise him, he loves you. If you put pressure on him, he hates you. If you'll remember, the media cycle leading up to his Puerto Rico response was full of Trump being told that he isn't doing anything and tons of journalists asking "Why isn't anyone talking about Puerto Rico?" That put a chip on his shoulder, and made him frustrated and want to prove that he was doing well. So he comes across this way most likely because of that. Here is the full remark he made about the death toll:

"Sixteen people certified. Sixteen people versus in the thousands. You can be very proud of all of your people and all of our people working together. Sixteen versus literally thousands of people. You can be very proud. Everyone around this table and everyone watching can be very proud of what's taking place in Puerto Rico."

Trump also briefly brought up Hurricane Harvey: "In Texas, it came in and did devastation and went out into the coast. It came in three times and would lot up and come in. Nobody has ever seen water like that. They saved 16,000 lives in Texas. Hard to believe. Between the helicopters and all of them. The Coast Guard in Texas saved 16,000 lives. They went through the hurricane, and there are not too many people who would have done it. Believe me." So, let's play a game - everyone's talking about gun control right now, right? Well, which Trump tweet will make everybody forget about guns completely and swivel into the next news cycle with total amnesia? I give it 2 or 3 days. I'll be here to report the nonsensical thing, at least. I mean, can we just please have a bit of memory? Let's reflect on the past week, shall we? We went from the North Korean nuclear threat to the NFL protests to Puerto Rico to the Las Vegas shooting. It's pretty clear that's all just a ride at this point, a pain parade. No one is going to do a barking thing about a single one of these issues at any point. We're just here to fulfill our part of the wheel, and roll on, from aimless pain-issue to the next.

Being part of Donald Trump's PR team must be pretty difficult. It seems like the President of the United States is constantly making blunder after blunder, and while his loyal legion of fans continue to back their President, the majority of us are shaking our heads in disbelief at some of the words and tweets that the President comes out with. Trump has received a fair bit of scorn over the last week due to his handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Tweeting from his golf club where he was on holiday, Trump criticized the Mayor of San Juan and disparaged Puerto Rican citizens as lazy people who "want everything done for them". [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/914087234869047296]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/914089003745468417]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/914089888596754434]] "The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump," Trump began in his Twitter tirade. "Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help," he added. "They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. 10,000 Federal workers now on Island doing a fantastic job." "They want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. 10,000 Federal workers now on Island doing a fantastic job." The President then went on (another) bizarre rant about fake news. However, Trump has now finally fulfilled his presidential duties and has visited Puerto Rico in person. Although, it's fair to say it didn't exactly go to plan, with the President making quite a few embarrassing blunders during his visit.

1."Every death is a horror, but if you look at a real catastrophe like Katrina, and you look at the tremendous, hundreds and hundreds of people that died...you can be very proud. Sixteen versus literally thousands and thousands of people."

Just because fewer people have died in Marina compared to Katrina, it doesn't make it any less "real". Also, "thousands and thousands" of people didn't die during Katrina.

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2."I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but you've thrown our budget out of whack."

Yes, how dare Puerto Rico have a hurricane, how dare they!? I'm sure the last thing these people care about right now is how this will affect the budget. They're probably more concerned with staying alive and finding lost loved ones.

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3. "Few people have ever even heard of a Category 5 hitting land."

Yes they have. 33 have hit land since 1924.

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4. "Have a good time!"

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It's quite hard to have a good time when your home, and civilization as you know it, has been destroyed, but thanks.

5. Throwing paper towels like it's a game

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This isn't a game and you are not Oprah. Just give out the towels like a normal human being.

Pretty cringey stuff, right? Understandably, people aren't too impressed with Trump's behaviour in Puerto Rico, accusing him of being disrespectful and oblivious to the destruction that is around him. No doubt he will think it all went perfectly well though, and will accuse the media of spreading fake news regarding the reaction of the public.

Donald Trump has faced harsh criticism over "disrespectful" comments he made regarding the Texas floods.

Credit: Anadolu / Getty Images.

During a Fox News interview with his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, President Donald Trump drew criticism after suggesting that “bells” might have helped prevent the tragic loss of life in the recent catastrophic floods in Central Texas.

When asked what message he had for the families of the 129 people who died in the Kerrville-area floods, Trump responded: “There can be nothing worse than losing a child,” before claiming that there had been “very early warning” in the days and hours leading up to the disaster.

“Maybe they should’ve had bells or something go off,” he added. “It’s pretty dangerous territory when you think of all the times they’ve had this problem.”

Trump’s remarks, described by many online as insensitive and out of touch, came amid growing concerns about his recent public appearances, including what some called a “bizarre” on-air demeanor during the Lara Trump interview.

Critics quickly took to social media to condemn his comments, particularly in light of his administration’s previous cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the federal agency responsible for weather forecasting and early warning systems.

One user posted: “Maybe don’t cut hundreds of NOAA forecasting positions, Mr. President.”

Another wrote: “This makes me ill. Children died, families are in unimaginable pain, and the President says ‘they should’ve had bells’? I hope families sue this ill-prepared government.”

A third added simply: “This is inexcusable. He should resign.”

Adding to the controversy, Trump inaccurately described the flooding as something that “has never happened before,” contradicting the National Weather Service, which has long identified the region as part of “Flash Flood Alley,” one of the most flood-prone areas in the country.

While visiting Kerrville on Friday, Trump also came under fire for his response to a local reporter who questioned the timeliness of emergency warnings. Rather than addressing the concern, he praised first responders and turned on the journalist.

“Only a bad person would ask a question like that,” Trump snapped. “I don’t know who you are, but only an evil person would ask a question like that.”

The floods devastated communities in Texas. Credit: Jim Vondruska / Getty

Despite the backlash, Trump reiterated his support for the local emergency teams: “I think everyone did an incredible job under the circumstances. This has been heroism. The job you've all done is really incredible.”

The interview and press conference have sparked widespread debate over leadership, preparedness, and accountability during national tragedies.

Featured image credit: Omar Havana / Getty

As the death toll continues to rise following catastrophic flash flooding in central Texas, President Donald Trump had a stern response to a journalist who questioned the federal response.

The floods, which struck over the July 4th holiday, have left at least 129 dead and more than 150 people missing. One of the worst hit was Camp Mystic on the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, where at least 27 campers and counselors lost their lives.

Texas has been ravaged by floods. Credit: Jim Vondruska / Getty

In one of the worst natural disasters in Texas history, the Guadalupe River rose by 26 feet in less than an hour, overwhelming emergency systems and sweeping away homes, businesses, and residents.

Trump: "Only an Evil Person Would Ask a Question Like That"

Now, controversy has arisen during a roundtable at the Hill Country Youth Event Center in Kerrville, Texas, on July 11, where President Trump met with local officials and first responders.

During the event, a CBS News reporter asked: “Several families we heard from are obviously upset because they say those warnings, those alerts didn’t go out in time, and they also say that people could have been saved. What do you say to those families?”—Trump initially responded with composure.

“Well, I think everyone did an incredible job under the circumstances,” he said.

But the tone quickly shifted.

“Only a bad person would ask a question like that, to be honest with you,” Trump continued. “I don’t know who you are, but only a very evil person would ask a question like that.

“It’s easy to sit back and say, ‘Oh, what could have happened here or there, you know? Maybe we could have done something differently?’ This was a thing that has never happened before."

He later doubled down: “This has been heroism,” and added, “Really, the job you've all done... It’s amazing, the incredible spirit from those families.”

Trump’s statement that this was a “one in 1,000 years” disaster echoes language used by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who joined him in defending the state’s emergency response, per News18.

Guadalupe River flooded and surged by up to 30 feet above its usual water level on Friday. Credit: NurPhoto / Getty

Growing Criticism Over Missed Warnings

Despite Trump’s praise for responders, scrutiny of the early warning system has intensified. According to reports, the National Weather Service issued two flood warnings overnight before the disaster struck, but Kerrville’s mayor stated that local authorities weren’t aware of the flooding until hours later due to the timing.

Further reporting from the New York Times revealed that officials had requested funding for a more robust flood warning system at least three times prior to the flood — each time denied by the state.

Meanwhile, local dispatch audio confirmed that Kerr County officials waited 90 minutes to send an emergency alert after it had been requested, ABC News reports.

Rep. Chip Roy: “Pointing Fingers Is for Losers”

Conservative Rep. Chip Roy, who accompanied Trump during the visit, condemned the media for its questioning. “For all of the media clamoring to ask that ridiculous first question and try to point fingers, the governor said it best when he said pointing fingers is for losers,” he stated.

"This state is about looking forward, and we'll figure out how to make our systems the best they can be. But more importantly, when you see 26 feet of water rising a foot per minute, don't go around pointing fingers," Roy added.

FEMA and Emergency Management Under Spotlight

As Trump praised local and federal collaboration, questions about the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) also resurfaced.

“We have some good people running FEMA,” Trump said on Friday. “It’s about time, right? We get some good ones. They failed us in North Carolina. But when we got in on Jan. 20, they fixed it up in no time.”

Secretary Kristi Noem, who is leading a task force to evaluate FEMA reforms, reinforced the administration’s state-first approach. “Emergencies and disasters are always locally executed,” she said. “The state manages them. And then the federal government comes in and supports. What we are doing here, sir, is empowering the state and the local officials to make the best decisions for their people.”

She added: “Thank you for being a president who trusts people.”

“Unity and Competence”

Despite the tragedy and controversy, Trump concluded the roundtable with a focus on what he described as national strength and capability in the face of disaster.

“Two words: Unity and competence. If you were to ask me two words that I've seen here,” he said.

But with more than 170 people still unaccounted for, and survivors continuing to call for accountability, those two words may not be enough to quell the rising public anger.

Our thoughts continue to go out to every family and person impacted by this tragedy.

Featured image credit: Anadolu / Getty Images.

As president, Donald Trump has struggled to play the role of consoler-in-chief. After calling a pregnant widow, she said he couldn't remember her dead husband's name and "made her cry even worse." After Hurricane Maria pummeled Puerto Rico, he bashed the Mayor on Twitter and hurled paper towels at the victims like he was playing a game. And after the deadly mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, he posed with the first responders for a photo, grinning, with two thumbs up, like he was cutting the ribbon on a new hotel.

Time after time, President Trump has shown a stunning lack of empathy. This trend continued when he met with the teenage survivors of the Florida shooting for a listening session. It's commendable that the President met with the kids, whose powerful voices have ignited a passionate national debate about gun control. However, the cameras caught a glimpse of his cue cards, which included prompts to say basic things like "I hear you." Critics slammed him for needing a cheat sheet to simulate human reactions.

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At the Parkland massacre,  Stoneman Douglas High School senior Samantha Fuentes was shot in both legs, and still has shrapnel lodged behind her eye. In an interview with The New York Times, she says that President Trump visited her in the hospital, and she had "never been so unimpressed by a person in [her] life."

"He said he heard that I was a big fan of his, and then he said, ‘I’m a big fan of yours too.’ I’m pretty sure he made that up.

"Talking to the president, I’ve never been so unimpressed by a person in my life. He didn’t make me feel better in the slightest."

She adds that Trump called the gunman a “sick puppy” and said “‘oh boy, oh boy, oh boy,’ like, seven times.”

It sounds like the President could have used his Cliff Notes.

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To be fair, Trump also visited Andrew Pollack, whose daughter, Meadow, died in the shooting, and the grieving father had nothing but good things to say about the experience:

"He showed us nothing but love. The guy really cared, you know? He flew us in, he had a bus waiting for us, he made time for us.

He took pictures of my daughter that we brought, and he said he was going to look at it every day.

He’s a regular guy. I wouldn’t have been there if I didn’t think he cared."

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Another participant in the White House listening session, 18-year-old Sam Zeif, said he felt stung by the President's cue cards and cold body language:

"Everything I said was directly from the heart, and he had to write down ‘I hear you.'

"Half the time during that meeting, his arms were crossed — I kept wanting to say, ‘Mr. President, uncross your arms.’ To me, that is the international sign for closemindedness; it’s really just a big ‘no.’”

"He may have heard us, but he’s never going to feel what we feel, because his kids are protected by the people that came to save me and my classmates that day."

For a man who strives to be so impressive, stamping his golden name on glitzy buildings, he's sure lacking in some ways.