First Hurricane Test for Trump

 As Hurricane Harvey is quickly approaching the coast of Texas, President Trump is also preparing for its impact.  Hurricane Harvey is heading towards Texas as a Category 3 storm, the worst that the United States has seen in 12 years.  Chuck Grassley, a senator from Iowa, just recently tweeted to President Trump saying,"..keep on top of Hurricane Harvey don't make same mistake Pres. Bush did w Katrina." To try and prevent another fatal disaster, the president, governors, mayors, and additional local officials have charged into action.

                        

                         

With this being the first natural disaster test of his presidency, democrats are expected to blame Trump for whatever happens to go wrong. However, the state of Texas seems to be prepared for the worst. Brock Long, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency told CNN that the "FEMA is already in the state of Texas. [They've] pre-positioned incident management teams, lifesaving, life-sustaining commodities. [They] have search and rescue teams in the state. And [they] are ready to support our state partners."  President Trump added on that he would be there to support both Texas and Louisiana with additional efforts.

Ex-FEMA chief to Trump: Don't let Harvey become your Katrina

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA,  is also without a permanent secretary since retired Gen. John Kelly was promoted to White House chief of staff.  As a temporary replacement, Elaine Duke, Kelly's deputy, is stand-in secretary. In her press briefing on Thursday, Sarah Huckabee Sanders expressed how the White House feels very confident to have Gen. Kelly supporting the president with Hurricane Harvey and that there is "probably no better chief in staff for the president during hurricane season." She also goes on to say that "the President has been briefed and will continue to be updated as the storm progresses, and certainly something he's very aware of and will keep a very watchful eye on, and stands ready to provide resources if needed."

Further Resources and Background Information

The natural disaster test: Trump braces for Hurricane Harvey- by CNN

President Trump prepares for Hurricane Harvey- by USA Today

Trump's focus as monster storm hits Texas- by The Washington Post

Trump Administration Prepares for Hurricane Harvey- by The New York Times

Discussion Questions

• What do you think Trump's response will be if disaster does strike? Will he listen to other officials around him, or will he take matters into his own hands?
• Since Trump was so harsh on Obama with Hurricane Sandy, what will Trump do to better his response? Or will he do the same thing Obama did?
• When will Trump decide on a new secretary for the Department of Homeland Security?
• Will the absence of an official secretary make recovery for the hurricane more difficult?
• What do you think democrats will say about Trump's actions? 
• Do you think this hurricane will affect Trump's presidency as much as it did for President Bush?

Why I wrote about this topic

I chose to write about this topic because it is the first real test of Trump's presidency.  This hurricane could make or break his term, just like Hurricane Katrina did with President Bush. Being able to rebuild the country back up from a natural disaster is an extremely important responsibility as president, and it is up to Trump to keep the citizens of Texas and Louisiana as safe as possible.