Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) is fine with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump visiting his state in the aftermath of devastating floods ― just not for a photo-op.
“We welcome him to LA but not for a photo-op,” a spokesman for Edwards’ office said in a statement, according to Politico. “Instead we hope he’ll consider volunteering or making a sizable donation to the LA Flood Relief Fund to help the victims of the storm.”
Edwards’ office told reporters the governor had not received a call from Trump about a visit. Trump and his running mate, Mike Pence, are expected to tour flooded areas on Friday.
At least 13 people have died as a result of the flooding, which has damaged about 40,000 homes. Rains that started last Thursday have dumped more than 2.5 feet of water on parts of the state, according to Reuters.
President Barack Obama signed a disaster declaration for Louisiana on Sunday, but he’s been criticized for not visiting flooded areas, instead remaining on vacation with his family in Martha’s Vineyard. But Edwards defended the president’s handling of the situation, saying he’d prefer Obama wait “a week or two” to visit because a presidential visit requires road blocks and ties up local police and first responders.
To read how you can help Louisiana flood victims, go here.
Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims — 1.6 billion members of an entire religion — from entering the U.S.
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