Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Donald Trump Just Managed to Make His Visit With Hurricane Florence Victims About Himself, Because of Course He Did

Donald Trump Just Managed to Make His Visit With Hurricane Florence Victims About Himself, Because of Course He Did
US President Donald Trump speaks at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina on September 19, 2018. (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)

Because it's always about him.

While seated with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Federal Emergency Management Agency head Brock Long, President Donald Trump received briefings from local, state and federal disaster recovery officials in a hangar at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in Havelock, North Carolina.

The group convened to discuss the devastation caused by Hurricane Florence. 37 people died as a result of the storm, 27 of those from North Carolina.


An official from Duke Energy spoke about their efforts to restore utility service to their customers. When she finished, Trump asked her one question that caused a few chuckles among those in attendance, but outrage from others.

In front of news cameras filming the status briefing, Trump asked:

"How is Lake Norman doing? I love that area. I can’t tell you why, but I love that area."

Watch the video here.

The worst of the storm tore across the coastline of North and South Carolina on Thursday into Friday. Hurricane Florence made it to the Charlotte, North Carolina, area over the weekend as a tropical depression with wind speeds around 35 mph.

While Duke Energy reported about 12,300 homes without power in the Charlotte area on Monday morning, that did not compare to the 630,000 homes they reported along the coast. Lake Norman sits north of Charlotte. While low lying areas flooded due to heavy rains, the most devastating impact of the storm fell miles away along the coastline.

So why ask an energy official about a much less devastated area instead of asking about restoring power to those most affected?

President Trump owns a golf course on the shores of Lake Norman. A power outage would cost the Trump Organization in lost revenue.

This is not the first time the President drew criticism for thinking of himself in times of crisis. After the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Trump brought up the winery he owns there.

When reporters asked about the volatile situation in Charlottesville—that resulted in the murder of Heather Heyer and injuries to 19 others when a white supremacist drove his car into a crowd of counter protesters—Trump stated:

"I own a house in Charlottesville. Does anyone know I own a house in Charlottesville? Oh boy, it's gonna be...it's in Charlottesville."
"It is the winery. I mean, I know a lot about Charlottesville. Charlottesville is a great place that's been very badly hurt over the last couple of days."
"I own actually one of the largest wineries in the United States, it's in Charlottesville."

At the time, people accused the President of being more concerned about his winery than Heather Heyer's murder or the racism displayed in Charlottesville. Now, people accused Trump of showing more concern for one of his golf courses than the people of North Carolina.

But it could be something else entirely.

When speaking of most events, the President displays a definite pattern of inserting himself into the situations however he can. When he spoke of the death of Aretha Franklin, Trump made claims of knowing her well and stating she worked for him many times.

His comments then angered people as well. All records indicated they met in passing 2 or 3 times and Franklin never worked directly for Trump.

When he spoke last month of the 2020 Republican Convention taking place in Charlotte, he bragged about his golf course instead of congratulating the city as he intended. He said:

"I actually have investments in Charlotte. They’ll say, ‘Oh, that’s a conflict of interest.’ Fake news, they’ll say this is a conflict of interest."
"You know where my club is, right? Trump National. It’s a very big success on Lake Norman. Beautiful. Largest man-made lake in the world by far, right?"

At the time, Trump took heat for his boast about Lake Norman which is not even in the top 10 largest manmade lakes in the United States. It is 25 times smaller than Lake Mead, Nevada. The largest manmade lakes in the world in both volume and surface area are in Africa.

News of today's remarks by Trump angered people again online.

Trump's schedule indicated he would return to the White House Wednesday evening.

More from People/donald-trump

Karoline Leavitt and Scott Bessent
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Karoline Leavitt Dragged After Making Mind-Numbing Claim About Trump's Tariffs Reversal

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is getting called out after she attempted to justify President Donald Trump's sudden reversal on his proposed tariffs, telling reporters that his actions make sense because he has a master plan to make the world bend the knee.

Trump declared a full 90-day suspension of all the “reciprocal” tariffs that took effect at midnight April 10—except for those on China—in a dramatic about-face from a president who had long championed his historically high tariff rates as permanent.

Keep ReadingShow less
religion signs
Noah Holm on Unsplash

People Explain What Stopped Them From Going To Church Anymore

There's been a perception of a bit of an exodus from religion for the last several decades. But humanity has gone from no organized religions to oppressive religious regimes to rebellion and back again over the last several millennia.

But is the 21st century when religion finally fails to bounce back?

Keep ReadingShow less
Jojo Siwa; Mickey Rourke
ITV

Mickey Rourke Reprimanded After Indirectly Aiming Anti-Gay Slur At JoJo Siwa On 'Celebrity Big Brother'

Dance Moms dancer, Nickelodeon child star, singer, and reality TV staple Jojo Siwa had a rough few months in 2024 over some problematic comments and behavior.

But 2025 is looking brighter as the public rallies to her defense.

Keep ReadingShow less
Barack and Michelle Obama
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Michelle Obama Expertly Shuts Down Baseless Rumors That She And Barack Are Divorcing

Speaking on Sophia Bush's Work in Progress podcast, former First Lady Michelle Obama addressed rumors that she and her husband, former President Barack Obama, were getting a divorce.

Obama addressed the recent divorce rumors for the first time, while also reflecting on the personal choices she’s made since departing the White House in 2017.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kristi Noem
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Kristi Noem Ripped Over Her Lack Of Gun-Handling Skills While Cosplaying As ICE Agent

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was criticized after she had an ICE officer seemingly dodging her aim after she pointed a gun towards his head while filming a video.

In a 20-second video posted to X on Tuesday, Kristi Noem stands flanked by two Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, brandishing a gun. Wearing a vest marked "ICE," along with dark cargo pants and a cap, Noem addresses the camera while the two agents remain silent beside her—though some X users expressed concern for the safety of one of them.

Keep ReadingShow less