US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate toured the flood-damaged city of Baton Rouge yesterday, despite the Democratic Louisiana governor’s urging not to make political stops in areas affected by recent deadly rains.
Trump’s motorcade drove past piles of possessions and building materials that had been ripped out of flooded homes en route to Greenwell Springs Baptist Church in a flood-ravaged portion of East Baton Rouge Parish.
“You’re all going to be fine, you’re going to be fine,” Trump told several dozen supporters gathered outside, many asking for autographs and selfies.
Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards’ office had said Trump had not called to discuss plans for his visit, but said the New York businessman was welcome to volunteer or make a sizeable donation towards helping victims.
“We welcome him to (Louisiana), but not for a photo op,” the governor’s office said in a statement.”Instead we hope he’ll consider volunteering or making a sizeable donation to the LA Flood Relief Fund to help the victims of this storm.”
Yet Kellie Michelli, who lost her home in the flood and was also at the church to pick up food with her family, beamed as she showed off an autograph on a Trump hat from an earlier rally in Baton Rouge.
“He took time out of his busy schedule to come here,” Michelli said. “I don’t care if he gives a nickel, he showed he cared by coming here.”
Some 40,000 homes were damaged and at least 13 people died in Louisiana after a deluge of more than 2-1/2 feet in what has been described as the worst storm since Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
Trump’s vice presidential running mate, Indiana governor Mike Pence, joined him in Baton Rouge, the capital city of a state that is typically a Republican stronghold in presidential elections.
Trump’s campaign team was changed again yesterday when Paul Manafort resigned as chairman days after the candidate effectively demoted him in a leadership shake-up.
Hillary Clinton, Trump’s Democratic rival in the November election, said on social media that she had spoken with the governor by phone and the flooding was worse than expected.
“My heart breaks for Louisiana, and right now, the relief effort can’t afford any distractions,” she said on Facebook, directing people to support organisations providing assistance.
Some people in Louisiana have urged President Barack Obama to cut short a vacation on Martha’s Vineyard in New England to visit and view the flood devastation. Obama’s vacation is due to end on Sunday.
Edwards said he urged the president to wait a few weeks before visiting as the huge presidential security undertaking involved would interfere with recovery efforts.
“It is a major ordeal,” he told MSNBC late Thursday, the same day homeland security secretary Jeh Johnson met with Edwards to see the emergency response.
Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Craig Fugate defended Obama’s decision not to visit.
“We still have response operations going on,” Fugate told CNN. “To move the president into a disaster area actually takes away some time from the response and the focus on” saving people.
Fugate has said he talked with Obama this week about the response.
In 2005, then-president George W
Bush, a Republican, drew criticism for flying over extensively damaged New Orleans, Louisiana, and then giving a speech in the still-flooded city following Hurricane Katrina.
Although waters have receded in many deluged parts, some areas around Lafayette, in the southwestern part of the state, are now experiencing major flooding as the water moves, according to the National Weather Service.
Some 86,500 people have already filed for federal aid following the historic levels of rainfall.
Thousands of people must now contend with flood-hit homes and about 4,000 people were in shelters, according to state officials.
The Red Cross has said recovery efforts will cost at least $30mn.
Paul Manafort resigned as chairman of Trump’s campaign, no longer enjoying the full confidence of a Republican candidate who is trying to boost his flagging White House bid.
Trump said in a statement he had accepted Manafort’s resignation, but did not offer an explanation for the departure.
Trump’s son, Eric Trump, said unflattering headlines about Manafort were taking a toll.
“I think my father didn’t want to be, you know, distracted by, you know, whatever things that, you know, Paul was dealing with,” he told Fox News, while also praising Manafort’s work for the campaign.
Questions have arisen about Manafort’s previous work for the political party of the Kremlin-backed former Ukrainian leader, Viktor Yanukovich.
Manafort, who first joined the campaign in March, had presided over a period in which Trump had formally sealed the Republican presidential nomination after seeing off 16 rivals.
Clinton leads Trump by 8 percentage points among likely voters, according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll released yesterday. The August 14-18 online poll showed that Clinton was supported by 42% of Americans who are expected to vote, compared with 34% for Trump.
Some 23% would not side with either candidate.
On Wednesday, Trump overhauled his campaign team, hiring the head of conservative website Breitbart News, Stephen Bannon, as chief executive of the campaign in a move that bolstered his combative image.
Trump also promoted adviser Kellyanne Conway, a data-driven political analyst, to campaign manager.
“You can get rid of Manafort, but that doesn’t end the odd bromance Trump has with Putin,” Robby Mook, Clinton’s campaign manager, said in a statement.
Although the hiring of Bannon was taken as a signal that Trump would not hold back in his aggressive, unorthodox campaign manner, Trump offered rare words of regret on Thursday for causing offense with his take-no-prisoners style.
Reading from a teleprompter, he told supporters in North Carolina that he had sometimes misspoken. “I regret it,” he said, “particularly where it may have caused personal pain.”
In recent days, Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, had been searching for someone to join the campaign whom both he and Trump could agree was trustworthy, according to a person close to the campaign.
Both had grown uncomfortable with Manafort, the person said.