U.S. President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott participate in a roundtable with first responders and local officials after catastrophic floods, at Hill Country Youth Center, in Kerrville, Texas, U.S., July 11, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
A Texas reporter lashed out Friday at what he called “ghouls on the left” and the “left-wing media” during a news conference on the Texas flood disaster, singling out Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) in particular.
The conference was headed by President Donald Trump, Gov. Gregg Abbott (R-TX), and a number of other federal and Texas officials and first responders. Phil McGraw, better known as Dr. Phil, also participated in the presser.
“What's been so disheartening recently are these ghouls on the left like Jasmine Crockett and the left-wing media who want to point fingers, play partisan games and fundraise off of this crisis,” the reporter said when selected by Trump for a question.
“What I love about Texas is we come together in a crisis across party lines, ideological lines, so what is your message to these folks on the left who are using this to gain partisan points in viral videos?”
With at least 120 dead and 173 missing from the flood that ravaged central Texas on July 4, a significant number of them children, critics have pressed local and federal officials on what some have described as inadequate warnings for the disaster. Some have blamed the Trump administration’s cuts to federal weather and emergency agencies, while others have labeled it a failure of local officials.
Among those critics has been Crockett, who on Friday signed off on a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration demanding information on the agencies’ preparedness and response to the flood.
“The tragic loss of life suffered underscores the urgent need to understand what contributed to this disaster.
“While (the National Weather Service) did issue several flood warning alerts, including one indicating ‘a large and deadly flood wave’ at 5:34 am Friday that urged residents and campers in Kerr County to seek higher ground, there are concerns about the effectiveness of those warnings,” the letter reads.
“Reports suggest that some residents may not have received these messages and others did not fully grasp the seriousness of the flood.”
In response to the reporter’s question, Trump simply argued that it was a matter of “lost confidence” as to why “ghouls on the left” and the “left-wing media” continue to pose tough questions on the flood response.
“They've lost their confidence, they've had a tremendous run of bad talent – I don't say bad luck, I say bad talent – and all they want to do is criticize,” Trump said.
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