HURRICANE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump may have found a new pastime he enjoys even more than campaign-style rallies: playing consoler in chief following major storms. On Monday [10-15-18], an upbeat Trump toured a Florida neighborhood wrecked by Hurricane Michael, with downed trees, damaged roofs and a deserted school. In the sweltering sun, dressed in khakis and a black windbreaker, he greeted neighbors, passed out water bottles and posed for selfies at an aide distribution center with a very friendly crowd including one onlooker who vowed to vote for Republicans in the midterm elections. The optics of late have been different than the images to emerged from past tours of disaster areas, where cable news channels and late night hosts picked up on scenes that made the president look out of touch or unrelatable — the president tossing paper towels to Hurricane Maria victims, or handing a bucket to a pickup truck driver instead of placing it in the back.”
–Nancy Cook and Christopher Cadelago, “Trump plays consoler in chief in key swing state,” Politico, October 15, 2018 8:45 pm