Transcript - Remarks: Donald Trump Attends a Briefing on Hurricane Recovery in Texas - October 25, 2017 | Factba.se

Donald Trump

00:00:00 - 00:00:10 (10 sec)

Well, thank you very much everyone. We've had a tremendous success in the state of Texas, and the governor and lieutenant governor, I know... you've done a fantastic job and I appreciate it, and the people of Texas appreciate it.

Donald Trump

00:00:10 - 00:00:19 (9 sec)

Actually, the people of this country really appreciate it. So I want to thank you very much. And, maybe I'd ask you to say a few words to our friends in the press?

Greg Abbot

00:00:19 - 00:00:41 (22 sec)

Well, Mr. President, once again, we thank the President for being here in Texas once again. He continues to show his commitment to helping Texans respond to the disaster, Hurricane Harvey and the flooding events. He has seen firsthand the challenges that Texan face.

Greg Abbot

00:00:41 - 00:01:04 (23 sec)

Through his multiple trips to Texas, he's seen homes that were destroyed, businesses that were destroyed, he's seen the needs that we have. And so the ongoing commitment that he has to ensure that Texas are going to be able to respond and rebuild is essential not just to Texas, but also vital to the United States of America because of the powerful engine for the American economy that Texas provides.

Greg Abbot

00:01:04 - 00:01:16 (12 sec)

Mr. President, I applaud you for constantly working with me and that people stay in Texas to make sure that we recover. Thank you very much.

Dan Patrick

00:01:16 - 00:01:37 (21 sec)

The response from this administration dealing with this storm has far exceeded any previous administration in response to these storms. We have a lot of counties that have suffered hurricanes before, and when I talk to those county judges and those mayors, they say FEMA has responded in a way they've never seen: faster, with more help.

Dan Patrick

00:01:37 - 00:01:56 (19 sec)

And because you were on the ground from day one, and you looked at it and said we have to fix it, we have to take care of it, and the governor's done a fabulous job. We have a long way to go and a lot of people to get back in their homes. We... it's the biggest storm in the history of America and the biggest recovery effort and the best recovery effort by the federal government.

Donald Trump

00:01:56 - 00:01:59 (3 sec)

By far... thank you, and by far the most water.

Dan Patrick

00:01:59 - 00:02:00 (0 sec)

The most water.

Donald Trump

00:02:00 - 00:02:09 (10 sec)

There was never a water drop like this one. There's no question. The FEMA folks have been so incredible. Would you like to say something to the press?

Tony Robinson

00:02:09 - 00:02:25 (16 sec)

Sure, it's just a great team effort. So, from the administration and your efforts to the governor and his team, our state and federal counterparts working hand-in-hand, working with citizens in the early days... it was neighbor helping neighbor, it helped the rescue, and it's going to continue to do that through the long road of recovery.

Kevin Hannes

00:02:25 - 00:02:42 (18 sec)

Mr. President again, thank you. I think our ability to tailor the programs to meet the survivors' needs, rather than having them having to meet to the bureaucracy and the flexibility that the administration gave to us, along with the governor to do that has made this the success that it is so far, and we'll keep that going

Donald Trump

00:02:42 - 00:02:51 (9 sec)

Well I'll, tell you, the military was so great and the Coast Guard... I'm hearing numbers of 16,000 people saved by the Coast Guard.

Dan Patrick

00:02:51 - 00:02:53 (2 sec)

Our first responders...

Donald Trump

00:02:53 - 00:02:55 (2 sec)

They were amazing. All first responders.

Dan Patrick

00:02:55 - 00:03:07 (12 sec)

They worked for four and five days. Mr. President, without any sleep and many of them their homes, so while their homes are flooding, they were helping others. We had our own flotilla of our volunteers bringing in boats.

Donald Trump

00:03:07 - 00:03:09 (3 sec)

You did... what a job they did. So what's the plan?

Nim Kidd

00:03:09 - 00:03:22 (13 sec)

Mr. President, I've been a first responder of emergency manager for 24 years. I've been a state director of Texas Emergency Management for seven years. This is my twelfth Presidential disaster declaration.

Nim Kidd

00:03:22 - 00:03:36 (14 sec)

This has been the fastest FEMA has ever moved in this process. Your leadership, Brock Long, Tony Robinson, bringing in all of the federal partners... the rest of our disasters have been big, but nothing of this size.

Nim Kidd

00:03:36 - 00:03:50 (14 sec)

And to have your support and their support, putting $1.3 billion of money in the hands of Texas to start rebuilding their lives, and over $400 million on the streets for local governments to start getting back to normal has been phenomenal. Thank you very much.

Donald Trump

00:03:50 - 00:03:54 (4 sec)

I appreciate it. Would you like to say it? Go ahead.

Reed Clay

00:03:54 - 00:04:03 (9 sec)

Mr. President, thank you for your partnership , for FEMA partnership. It's been an amazing effort in and we really appreciate it. Thank you.

Donald Trump

00:04:03 - 00:04:18 (15 sec)

Thank you. We're very proud of our governor.. you know, it's something very special. We're very proud of all you guys. And it's true, first responders military, everybody, everybody.

Donald Trump

00:04:18 - 00:04:43 (25 sec)

And I do single out Coast Guard because people, I think it's sometimes unsung, but they were out there and they were following them, at tremendous peril to themselves, and they were just right on the edges and then follow them right it, and it was incredible. And they saved 16,000 people. I think... think of what that could have been if you lost anywhere near that number, it would have been one of the worst, maybe the worst catastrophe we ever had.

Donald Trump

00:04:43 - 00:05:13 (30 sec)

So the Coast Guard has been so incredible. All of the military. I just want to say I'm very proud of all of you, everybody at this table, and keep it going and we're going to look... at the concept of a more permanent solution, because, you do get inundated, and it's going on for decades. Houston's got some difficulty with that, and we're gonna see if we can solve that on a more permanent basis, and there is a way of doing a method of doing it and they've known it for 20 or 25 years, but nobody's ever done it.

Donald Trump

00:05:13 - 00:05:24 (12 sec)

But this governor, this lieutenant governor have been talking about it and, let's take a look at the cost and let's see if it's possible to do because that would save a lot of money into the future and it would also put a lot of people to work.

Donald Trump

00:05:24 - 00:05:33 (9 sec)

So, let's see what we can do you come and you show me what the concepts are. I think the concepts work. The question is will the cost work, and I think the cost will work.

Greg Abbot

00:05:33 - 00:05:34 (0 sec)

We can make it work.

Donald Trump

00:05:34 - 00:05:53 (20 sec)

There's nothing, there's nothing like what you went through, believe me. So if you can solve this and this, if had it been built, much of what you went through would have been very small by comparison, perhaps almost nothing. So we're going to take a very serious look at this.

Donald Trump

00:05:53 - 00:06:15 (22 sec)

One of the other things we were talking about is green board. It's called green board, it's sheetrock. But it's really a very strong form of sheetrock that actually people use around bathtubs. They use it around bathtubs and showers. And it's, you know, water has no impact on it. And if they would use that on first floors, it covers the same, you'll fix it the same.=

Donald Trump

00:06:15 - 00:06:36 (21 sec)

The construction guys know exactly what I'm talking about. We were discussing it and, I said, has anyone ever thought of it, and the statement was only people in the construction industry would know. It's just a little more expensive than sheetrock and frankly, if people would do that on their first floor, that water would come in would come out, and they'd be back in business, you wouldn't have to rip out the whole house.

Donald Trump

00:06:36 - 00:06:53 (16 sec)

So it's something I think that should be maybe in certain areas considered very strongly, and you know the areas that we're talking about, and it would be a tremendous... a very small amount of money make a big, big difference , and the water doesn't get through it at all. Thank you very much, everybody.