President Barack Obama dismissed criticism that he spent too much time golfing on his Martha’s Vineyard vacation instead of visiting Louisiana after devastating historic flooding in the state.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump traveled to the site of the damage and met with some of the victims last week before the White House announced plans for the president to make his own visit.
When Obama was asked by reporters if he was concerned about candidates politicizing disasters, he replied, “No I don’t.”
“First of all, one of the benefits of being five months short of leaving here is I don’t worry too much about politics,” Obama added.
He then praised Washington D.C. politicians for working together to help the victims.
“I guarantee you, nobody on this block, none of those first responders, nobody gives a hoot whether you are a Democrat or a Republican,” he said.
Obama praised FEMA manager Craig Fugate for handling the many natural disasters during his presidency.
“I could not be prouder about the work that FEMA has done,” Obama said, calling their work “high quality.”
He urged all Americans not to criticize the federal government, and pointed to their success on the ground in Louisiana.
“There’s a tendency for us sometimes to bash them and think that they are these faceless bureaucrats but when you get into trouble, you want somebody who knows what they are doing,” he said.
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