Trump gives Harvey condolences a day after Texas visit

A somber President Trump on Wednesday offered heartfelt condolences and prayers to the families of victims of Hurricane Harvey, a day after coming under criticism from some who said he failed to convey empathy on a swing through Texas.

Speaking on tax reform at a manufacturing plant in Springfield, Mo., Trump opened by addressing the unfolding crisis in the Gulf region, where more than two dozen have died and tens of thousands have been displaced by catastrophic flooding and torrential rains.

“To those Americans who have lost loved ones, all of America is grieving with you and our hearts are joined with yours forever,” Trump said.

“The citizens of Texas and the Gulf Coast need all the prayers, support and resources our communities have to offer,” he continued. “Recovery will be tough, but I have seen the resilience of the American spirit firsthand all over this country. To the people of Houston and across Texas and Louisiana, we are here with you today. We are with you tomorrow. And we will be with you every single day after to restore, recover and rebuild.”

Trump has taken a hands-on approach to the developing tragedy. The federal government’s early response has been praised for its coordination and thoroughness in the face of an unprecedented natural disaster that has left much of Houston, the nation’s fourth largest city, under water.{mosads}

But there were questions about whether Trump could adequately convey empathy for victims in the region.

As with Charlottesville initial tweet, FLOTUS says what POTUS does not https://t.co/J9QRMcNdbW

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) August 29, 2017

Some, including former President George W. Bush’s press secretary Ari Fleischer, said Trump fell short here.

“There was something missing from what President Trump said, that’s the empathy for the people who suffer,” Fleischer told Fox News.

And many in the media were highly critical of what they viewed as too little recognition of the human suffering in the region.

At one point, Trump remarked on the “turnout” and size of the crowd that gathered for his meeting in Corpus Christi, where hundreds gathered and cheered Trump as he waved a Texas flag from a firetruck.

“Reporters heard no mention of the dead, dying or displaced Texans and no expression of sympathy for them,” Dallas Morning News reporter David McSwane wrote in the pool report to the press corps.

In a press gaggle aboard Air Force One on Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price talked up Trump’s compassion for those in harm’s way.

“In my conversations with the president and in my experience with the president, his passion and his love for the American people and concern about their welfare is unending,” Price said. “And what he has seen in this is what all of us have seen when you watch the television and you see the situation — the tragic situation that many individuals are in. And his heart goes out to them, as does everybody’s heart.”

On Wednesday, Trump offered his most heartfelt remarks to date. He praised the first responders, who he said are “doing absolutely heroic work to shepherd people out of harm’s way.”

“Their courage and devotion has saved countless lives,” Trump said. “They represent truly the very best of America. We must be vigilant. We must protect the lives of our people.”

“In difficult times such as these, we see the true character of the American people, their strength, their love and their resolve,” he added. “We see friend helping friend, neighbor helping neighbor and stranger helping stranger. And together, we will endure, and we will overcome.”