In an effort to properly prepare ahead for the possibility that North Carolina will be hit by Hurricane Dorian, Governor Roy Cooper (D) asked President Donald Trump for an emergency declaration. However, when Trump announced it, he snubbed Cooper in favor of Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).
Dorian is a powerful storm that looks like it will turn off into the northeast back out to sea, but with the destruction of Hurricane Florence still fresh in people’s memories, Cooper is taking no chances which is why he publicly requested an emergency declaration from Trump on Tuesday.
According to the Raleigh News & Observer:
Cooper said he asked President Donald Trump for a federal disaster declaration in advance of the storm, to clear the way for federal assistance if North Carolina needs it. Sen. Thom Tillis tweeted late Monday that Trump told him by phone that he would grant Cooper’s request and “assured me that North Carolina will have the full resources of the federal government to respond to #HurricaneDorian.”
Again, Cooper is the one who requested the declaration, not Tillis. But when Trump announced the declaration on Twitter Tuesday evening, he credited Tillis instead of Cooper.
At the request of Senator Thom Tillis, I am getting the North Carolina Emergency Declaration completed and signed tonight. Hope you won’t need it!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 4, 2019
Trump is clearly making it appear that Cooper did not bother to try to help his state even though Cooper is the one who asked for the declaration.
Instead of correcting the record, Tillis played along like a good sycophant and thanked Trump while not even bothering to mention Cooper.
Thank you, Mr. President! https://t.co/71B45yySoq
— Senator Thom Tillis (@SenThomTillis) September 4, 2019
This is dirty politics plain and simple. Had a request come in from the Republican governors in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, Trump would have given them credit for the request. But because Cooper is a Democrat, Trump is trying to make him look bad. Just when you thought Trump could not get any pettier after throwing a tantrum over being wrong about warning that Alabama was in the path of the storm, he pulls a partisan stunt like this, and the people of North Carolina should be outraged by the insult.
Featured Image: Wikimedia
