Tipsheet

'Don't Be a Cheerleader': Media Criticizes Trump for Commending Relief Efforts in Texas?

Cortney O'Brien
Cortney O'Brien  |  August 27, 2017 9:50 AM

Hurricane Harvey, a tropical storm, is the worst Texas has experienced for two decades. It has claimed five lives since it began hammering the Texas Coast and is expected to leave catastrophic flooding in its wake.

This natural disaster, though devastating, has again given us a chance to witness courage on display. 

President Trump has been encouraging the brave search and rescue teams working around the clock to save Texans who are at risk of being by the hurricane, offering his support via his Twitter page.

He also noted how city, state and federal governments are "working great together!"

It was a encouraging message, yet that's not how some media pundits interpreted it. On CNN, Bloomberg correspondent Margaret Talev was dismayed that the president was "of course" using Twitter to respond to the unfolding disaster in Texas. "Don't be too much of a cheerleader," she warned.

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However, just a few minutes later on CNN, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott joined Jake Tapper's "State of the Union" program, where he thanked the Trump administration for their help. FEMA Administrator Brock Long echoed Abbott, noting that the president has been "incredibly engaged" in the relief effort.

Some angry social media users were also not thrilled with Trump's tweets about the government working together to save Texans. How can he tweet such a thing, they wrote, when he has not been able to work together with the GOP to repeal Obamacare? 

Relevance escapes them.

Trump said Sunday that he will be visiting Texas as soon as he can do so without "causing disruption."

The city of Houston is asking citizens to only call emergency services if they are in "imminent danger," as they are at capacity.