Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, who has lost his home in Louisiana's devastating flooding, said Friday he's happy that GOP nominee Donald Trump and his running mate Mike Pence are visiting the region, but at the same time, Trump could have "sent a postcard" and still did more than President Barack Obama has done.
"I mean, look, it was three days and people were criticizing George Bush," Perkins told Fox News' "Fox & Friends" program, referring to the criticism the former president got for his fly-over after Hurricane Katrina. Obama is under fire for remaining away on his vacation in Martha's Vineyard, rather than cutting it short and heading to Louisiana.
"I remember Katrina well," Perkins continued. "I was on the phone with Karl Rove giving them kind of an assessment from the ground, and part of the problem with President Bush coming in was we had a Democratic governor who did not want him to come in and steal the limelight."
With the current flooding, Louisiana's Gov. John Bel Edwards is "one of the few Democratic governors that's been elected under the tenure of Barack Obama," said Perkins, so he's surprised Obama isn't at his side "trying to prop him up."
There is a role for the federal government in the flood recovery, he continued, but volunteers are also needed, and Obama could emphasize that need "but at least talking" about the flood.
Perkins said Friday he and his family have lost their home, but it "didn't wash away" and they will be able to rebuild.
"Our loss is minimal compared to what some [have]," said Perkins. "There are folks still trying to get back to their homes. We still have people living in shelters who are people trying to find family members. We have already confirmed that over a dozen people have died in this flooding and we're still trying to connect people to families. So this is far from over."
Perkins has been long involved in disaster relief efforts, and said one of the first calls he made after his family escaped their flooded home in a canoe was to Rev. Franklin Graham's team at Samaritan's Purse, which has been one of the many organizations to respond.
"It's a long process of tearing out the homes, cleaning out the mud, personal belongings," said Perkins. "I'm grateful for the faith-based community that's responded, and people from across the country who are wanting to help."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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