Giuliani: Trump ‘more presidential’ than Obama in Louisiana visit

Rudy Giuliani says Donald Trump was “more presidential” than President Obama, praising the GOP nominee’s visit to flood-ravaged Louisiana on Friday.

“Today, Donald Trump acted more Presidential than the President himself, by immediately going to Louisiana while President Obama chose to continue playing golf and Hillary Clinton phoned in her views,” said the former New York City mayor and Trump surrogate in a statement.

Trump toured damaged areas on Friday with a small group of traveling press.

His visit sparked controversy. Before he arrived, Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards on Friday said Trump should do volunteer work instead of a political photo-op. He also said Trump had never informed him about his trip.

“We welcome him to [Louisiana], but not for a photo-op. Instead we hope he’ll consider volunteering or making a sizable donation to the LA Flood Relief Fund to help the victims of this storm,” Bel Edwards said in a statement, according to NBC News. 

{mosads}Trump did not appear to attend any volunteer efforts during his visit to Louisiana.

Giuliani hit back at Edwards.

“The Democrat Governor’s criticism of Mr. Trump’s visit to Louisiana is an outrage, and completely inconsistent with their criticism of President Bush’s decision to not go to New Orleans immediately after Hurricane Katrina,” Giuliani said in a statement sent out by the Trump campaign. “It is the defining principle of leadership to show up at the scene of a disaster in order to assess damage first hand.”

Giuliani said when he was mayor of New York during the September 11 attacks, he “welcomed” leaders to the city in a show of unity.

President Obama, who is vacationing in Martha’s Vineyard, has faced criticism for not yet visiting the state this week. On Friday, though, the White House said he would be traveling to Baton Rouge next week.

A Louisiana paper had urged Obama to attend, saying his presence would be a boost to those affected. But others had cautioned against a presidential visit, warning it could divert important resources that could be better directed toward recovery efforts.

Former Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu, though, on Friday lauded Trump and said that she hoped Hillary Clinton and President Obama would visit the state too. 

Clinton said in an email to supporters that she has spoken to the governor and sent out links to donate to the relief effort.