Opinion – Donald and Melania Trump arrive in Texas. Not much has changed

President Trump and the first lady landed in Texas on Tuesday morning with a unique opportunity to boost the president’s public support. The trip has already drawn ire for a series of tone-deaf missteps.

President Trump arrived in Texas on Tuesday morning after Hurricane Harvey left Houston and its residents reeling from days of floods and chaos. The president and first lady, Melania Trump, landed in Corpus Christi, Texas– roughly 30 miles away from the worst of Harvey’s wrath.

Trump’s response to the first natural disaster of his nascent political career presents a unique opportunity for him to depart from the divisive message that defined his campaign and garnered significant criticism in the early months of his presidency. Natural disasters– devastating and horrible events for local populations– often present easy opportunities for politicians to gain momentum through unifying speeches and quick appropriation of federal funds. In short, this is a perfect opportunity for Trump to build some momentum for his fast-deteriorating administration.

Trump hopes to avoid the mistakes George W. Bush made during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Bush’s errors have long been maligned as one of the worst moments of a tumultuous eight years in office, a moment that he received well deserved criticism for his “too little, too late” approach. Trump is aware of the necessity of a timely and effective response, especially considering his platform and dismissive attitude toward climate change and the ramifications of America’s dependence on fossil fuels.

An unnecessarily complex yet unusually prescient question persists: can Trump’s answers and recovery efforts avoid the grandiose narcissism that makes all world events– however terrible– about him and his popularity?

Though Trump or his administration is yet to make a statement regarding the damage in Houston, his team’s early actions and details of his trip show little departure from the nature of a guy we’ve gotten to know far too well over the course of 7 months. President Trump will not actually visit the city of Houston, opting to go straight from Corpus Christi to Austin. The president’s personal security is always a preeminent national security matter, but Trump’s refusal to even set foot within Houston’s city limits reflects his habitual penchant for insensitivity and tone-deaf nature.

Trump’s early Twitter activity has mostly referenced the storm’s historic capacity, continuing his fascination with metrics related to size. The president briefly praised relief efforts and his coordinated response before he tweeted at Fox & Friends during his flight to Texas– a move not out of character for a president who has showed a continued obsession with his media coverage and popularity. Americans should be alarmed by a President who watches Fox News on the way to solve a natural disaster crisis. Unfortunately, this is the new normal.

Donald and Melania’s flight from Washington and arrival in Corpus Christi was covered extensively by various media outlets, many of whom focused on the First Lady’s wardrobe choices. Appearing in high heels, a “FLOTUS” hat, and trendy green bomber jacket, Melania’s “natural disaster costume party” attire reinforced the prevailing narrative that her presence in the public eye isn’t about being a supportive and thoughtful interlocutor and mostly about putting together the best outfit for the occasion. For Tuesday morning, the look was “disaster Barbie”.

Melania’s ridiculous clothing choices for the Texas trip are another piece of either misdirection or buffoonery in an administration that has made a farce and spectacle of America’s most important office. Once again, we’re left talking about something other than the pressing issue at hand.

An interminable question persists– are grandiose moments of insensitivity like Melania’s hurricane fashion choices intentionally manufactured to distract the public from internal turmoil? Or, is this administration’s incompetence so rampant that it isn’t even aware of the public perception of inconsiderate moves like this? With purported “puppet-master” Steve Bannon now out of the White House, it seems like the claims of calculated, Machiavellian misdirection are over.

The metaphors that could accompany Melania’s wardrobe choices are so on-the-nose they can hardly be considered metaphors. This is the administration that wears high heels to a flood. This is a team that uses a natural disaster as a branding opportunity. This would all be funny if it weren’t real life. Without yet making a public statement from Texas, the Trump administration has backed up the worst opinions of its harshest critics. This week’s hurricane is an opportunity for Donald and Melania to look good and boost ratings. That’s all. Whatever happens to the residents of Houston is of secondary importance.