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Trump plans Texas trip this week to survey flood devastation

Akayla Gardner and Stephanie Lai, Bloomberg News on

Published in Political News

President Donald Trump said he would travel to Texas on Friday, a trip that will allow him to survey firsthand the devastation from extreme floods that have left at least 100 people dead and scores still missing.

“We’ll be going on Friday,” Trump told reporters Monday at the White House, as he hosted a dinner for visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We’re going to just make it as comfortable as possible for the state of Texas,” he added, saying he would work with the state’s governor and lawmakers to assist with the recovery. “We’re going to work together with them, and we have been working really very hard.”

Catastrophic floods have torn through the Texas Hill Country, with the deaths including 27 children and counselors who had been missing from a girls’ summer camp. More than 750 kids were at the Camp Mystic property along the Guadalupe River on Friday morning when a flash flood swept away cabins, campsites, bridges and roads, spurring a frantic search for survivors.

Intense rains surged water levels in the river during a busy holiday weekend in a region of the state families flock to during the summer months. The statewide death toll is expected to mount as rescuers are still searching through mounds of debris. Authorities refused to say at a news conference Monday how many people are still believed to be missing.

Local, state and federal officials have drawn scrutiny over their initial response to the severe weather, including questions about why a county prone to floods lacked warning sirens and whether forecasts accurately conveyed the risk of torrential floodwaters to local residents.

The incident has also prompted questions from some Democrats about the impact the Trump administration’s staffing cuts to the National Weather Service may have had ahead of the flooding.

Representative Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat whose district covers parts of San Antonio, said the possible role of staffing cuts at the NWS should be investigated, though he cautioned that there is no conclusive evidence cuts impacted the outcome of forecasts.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday denounced that criticism as “depraved and despicable.”

 

“We know the National Weather Service provided early and consistent warnings,” she said. “They gave out timely flash flood alerts.”

Trump has assailed the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to natural disasters under his predecessor, former President Joe Biden.

Asked about the agency over the weekend, he told reporters that it was “something we can talk about later,” adding that “right now they’re busy working, so we’ll leave it at that.”

In a press conference Monday, Texas Senator Ted Cruz confirmed there have been more than 850 high-water rescues in the state. Cruz said he spoke to Trump, who vowed to provide any resources the state needs for its response to the disaster.

Trump signed a disaster declaration on Sunday for hard-hit Kerr County. The U.S. Coast Guard has also been deployed to assist in search and rescue efforts. FEMA has also sent resources to assist the state’s first responders, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Noem visited the state on Saturday alongside Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

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(With assistance from Derek Wallbank.)

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©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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