Using the deaths of innocent victims of the Texas flood disaster as props in partisan attacks on President Donald Trump is a low blow, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Monday.
Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have sought to claim that National Weather Service staffing shortages in Texas mean deaths from the flooding are Trump’s fault, an argument Leavitt rejected.
“Unfortunately, in the wake of this once-in-a-generation natural disaster, we have seen many falsehoods pushed by Democrats such as Senator Chuck Schumer and some members of the media,” Leavitt said, according to a video posted to X.
“Blaming President Trump for these floods is a depraved lie, and it serves no purpose during this time of national mourning,” she said.
Leavitt said the Weather Service responded to the crisis that was brewing.
.@PressSec speaks on the weekend’s devastating Texas flooding as Democrats and some members of the media push depraved, disgusting lies. pic.twitter.com/n0WH1yzwXG
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 7, 2025
“Here are the facts. In the lead-up to this tragic national disaster, the National Weather Service did its job. Despite unprecedented rainfall, the National Weather Service executed timely and precise forecasts and warnings,” she said, listing briefings and notifications that began on July 3. The Guadalupe River flooding that led to many deaths took place early Friday morning.
“So, to any person who has deliberately lied about these facts surrounding this catastrophic event, you should be deeply ashamed,” she said.
Do you think the Trump administration has handled the fallout from the Texas flooding well?
“May God bless the great people of Texas — especially the parents who have lost their children. President Trump loves you. We are praying for you, and he will be traveling to see you later this week,” she said.
Leavitt said using the tragedy to score political points was “depraved and despicable,” according to The Hill.
“Many Democratic elected officials are trying to turn this into a political game. It is not. This is a national tragedy,” she said.
“This was an act of God, it is not the administration’s fault that the flood hit when it did but there were early and consistent warnings,” Leavitt said, according to ABC. “And again, the National Weather Service did its job.”
The Weather Service responded to criticism as well.
“The National Weather Service is heartbroken by the tragic loss of life in Kerr County. On July 3, the NWS office in Austin/San Antonio, TX conducted forecast briefings for emergency management in the morning and issued a Flood Watch in the early afternoon,” it said in a statement.
“Flash Flood Warnings were issued on the night of July 3 and in the early morning of July 4, giving preliminary lead times of more than three hours before warning criteria were met. The National Weather Service remains committed to our mission to serve the American public through our forecasts and decision support services,” it said.
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said reviews after a tragedy can be instructive, but the blame game being played in front of media cameras is not.
“I think this is not a time for partisan finger-pointing and attacks,” Cruz said.
“In the wake of every tragedy, there are things that are predictable,” Cruz said. “One of the things that’s predictable is to see some people engaging in, I think, partisan games, and trying to blame their political opponents for a natural disaster. And you see that with a hurricane, with a tornado, with a wildfire, with this flooding, where people immediately say, ‘Well, the hurricane is Donald Trump’s fault.’ I think most normal Americans know that’s ridiculous, and I think this is not a time for partisan finger pointing and attacks.”
“Now, after we come through search and rescue, after we come through the process of rebuilding, there will naturally be a period of retrospection where you look back and say, ‘OK, what exactly transpired, what was the timeline, and what could have been done differently to prevent this loss of life?’ And that’s a natural process,” Cruz said. “I think it should not happen in a bitter and partisan sense, but it should happen in a reasonable sense of saying, what lessons can we learn?”
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