On Tuesday, President Trump convened a cabinet meeting at the White House focusing on disaster relief efforts in Texas and potential governance changes in Washington, D.C.
Trump announced that he and the First Lady will visit Texas on Friday to inspect the ongoing relief and rebuilding efforts in the aftermath of deadly floods caused by heavy rains in the Guadalupe River area last week.
The devastating floods have claimed over 108 lives so far, with rescue operations still ongoing in the region. Officials in Kerr County, a heavily affected area, reported a total of 57 adult and 30 child casualties as of Tuesday morning.
While there is still a slight possibility of more storms and rainfall in the area according to meteorological reports, the good news is that the storms are expected to weaken starting from Tuesday.
The federal government has been collaborating with Governor Greg Abbott of Texas to coordinate potential federal aid to alleviate the losses and support the state in its recovery efforts.
President Trump has personally engaged in numerous conversations with Governor Abbott, emphasizing his ongoing commitment to the disaster relief activities.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was among the first to arrive at the scene, announced that FEMA’s rescue operations for the Texas floods have been fully deployed. The department is currently streamlining the paperwork processes of the old version of FEMA to provide a more efficient response to affected families.
Noem stressed that disaster management is primarily the responsibility of individual states rather than the federal government. She highlighted that the federal government has been supporting local officials in Texas in their relief efforts.
In addition to the disaster relief efforts in Texas, President Trump mentioned that the federal government is considering taking over governance of the capital, Washington, D.C., to help combat crime. This action would mark a significant departure from the autonomous system that has been in place for half a century in Washington, D.C.
“We can manage Washington, D.C. What I mean is, we are considering managing Washington, D.C.,” Trump stated during the cabinet meeting on Tuesday. “To be honest, we are considering it. We want the capital to operate effectively.”
Trump noted that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles is in close contact with the elected mayor of Washington, D.C., Muriel Bowser.
Bowser has established a closer relationship with the White House during Trump’s second term. Apart from visiting the White House in person, she agreed to allow the National Football League team to construct a new stadium near the Anacostia River and to remove the “Black Lives Matter” Square near the White House.
Although residents of Washington, D.C., were given the right to elect their local government through legislation passed in 1973, Congress still retains authority to review local laws and city budgets.
Trump reiterated his appeal for New Yorkers not to vote for the Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani in November.
“If a Communist were to become the mayor of New York City, that would be a different story, but we have tremendous power at the White House to manage certain areas if needed,” the President said before shifting the discussion back to Washington, D.C.
He added later, “New York City will function normally. We will bring New York back,” without providing further details.
Mamdani, self-identifying as a democratic socialist, secured victory in the Democratic primary held in June. He will compete against current Mayor Eric Adams running as an independent candidate, Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
President Trump also mentioned plans to assist U.S. defense contractors in increasing military equipment production.
“The military gear we manufacture is the best so far… That’s why every country wants to buy our equipment, which is why we need to boost the contractors who manufacture this equipment now,” Trump stated at the White House.
“They (referring to contractors) are smart, but their progress is too slow, and we need to accelerate the pace to have them complete missions at a faster rate,” the President added.