President Donald Trump arrived in Fort Myers, Florida, on Thursday, his first stop in the state he’s called a “second home” since Hurricane Irma devastated the region.
Upon landing, Trump spoke with reporters about discussions on DACA he had with Democrats in Washington the night before about a potential deal that would leave in limbo the question of his long-promised wall on the southern border.
To Trump, the wall may not come in this potential deal, but he said an “understanding” about the wall in the future was paramount to getting a deal done.
“We have to have an understanding,” the president said, “that the wall will be funded. Otherwise we’re not doing any deal.”
“If we don’t have the wall,” he added, “we’re doing nothing.” Trump also expressed a desire to work in a bipartisan fashion before heading out to survey damage from Hurricane Irma.
“Now, let’s go and see how we’re doing, because I think we’re doing a good job in Florida,” he said.
After receiving a hurricane recovery briefing from Federal Emergency Management Agency and Coast Guard officials, he praised recovery efforts and offered some unsolicited, and unexpected, political advice for the governor of Florida, a longtime Trump backer
“I hope this man right here, Rick Scott, runs for the Senate,” Trump said.
It was the first time the president had offered such encouragement, though Trump acknowledged Thursday, “I don’t know what he’s going to do.”
In a rare move, Trump also thanked the media. “We appreciate you being so understanding,” he said. “It’s been a tough time, even for you folks.”
Fort Myers and Naples were among the cities hit hard by Irma, which made landfall in the state Sunday morning as a dangerous Category 4 storm. By Monday, the hurricane-turned-tropical storm had weakened to a tropical depression.
Trump’s Florida visit on Thursday was his third to a hurricane-ravaged region in three weeks, after two stops in Texas to survey damage from Hurricane Harvey.