President Donald Trump said Tuesday he wants response efforts for Hurricane Harvey to be "better than ever before."
The president spoke with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R.) and other officials in Corpus Christi. During his remarks, Trump made it clear he wanted this government response to serve as the example for future administrations to follow.
"We want to do it better than ever before," Trump said about the relief efforts. "We want to be looked at in five years, ten years from now as: This is the way to do it."
"You have been just outstanding," Trump also said to Abbott. "I can tell you that my folks are telling me how great your representatives have been in working together. It's a real team."
Trump also thanked his own staff, recognizing the efforts of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, HUD Secretary Ben Carson, and Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke, among others. He specifically praised FEMA administrator Brock Long for his visible leadership.
"And a man who really has become very famous on television in the last couple of days, Mr. Long," Trump said, listing people to thank for their effort. "We appreciate it very much."
Trump put the response in perspective as he discussed the "epic proportion" of the hurricane and the resulting damage.
"This was of epic proportion," Trump said. "Nobody's ever seen anything like this, and I just want to say that working with the governor and his entire team has been an honor for us."
He thanked Abbott again before he stopped short of giving congratulations, citing how much work is left to do.
"We won't say congratulations. We don't want to do that," Trump said. "We'll congratulate each other when it's all finished, but you have been terrific. You really have."