White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday forcefully rejected accusations that President Donald Trump is to blame for the catastrophic Central Texas flooding, calling the narrative a “depraved lie” and accusing Democrats and the media of politicizing tragedy.
Speaking to reporters in Washington, Leavitt condemned what she described as “disgraceful attempts” to link Trump’s policies to the deadly disaster, which has now claimed more than 90 lives. At least 41 people remain missing after the Guadalupe River swelled to the height of a two-story building early Friday morning.
“Blaming President Trump for these floods is a depraved lie and it serves no purpose in this time of national mourning,” Leavitt said. She praised the National Weather Service for issuing “timely and precise forecasts” despite being overwhelmed by “unprecedented rainfall.”
Her comments followed a letter sent by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to the Commerce Department’s Acting Inspector General, Roderick Anderson, requesting an investigation into whether staffing cuts at key National Weather Service (NWS) offices played a role in the deadly outcome.
Schumer argued that job reductions implemented under the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, eliminated essential forecasting and emergency coordination roles. “These are the experts who help save lives,” Schumer wrote. “They model storm impacts, issue flood warnings, and coordinate evacuations. Their absence may have had fatal consequences.”
Leavitt dismissed Schumer’s claims as “baseless political theater,” insisting the administration acted responsibly and swiftly. She also rebuked media outlets for amplifying what she called “falsehoods” during an active emergency response.
The president himself signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County on Sunday morning, enabling additional federal resources to assist first responders battling the aftermath of the flooding. The declaration came after a formal request from Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
Despite the criticism, Trump has yet to visit the flood zone. Speaking to reporters, he said he intends to travel to Texas “probably Friday,” explaining he didn’t want to interfere with emergency operations. “We wanted to leave a little time,” he said. “I would have gone today, but we’d just be in their way.”
In a video posted to Truth Social, Trump said he’s remained in contact with Governor Abbott and other officials. “I am very close to Governor Abbott,” he said. “We’re working closely with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and the Texas delegation. It’s an absolutely horrible situation.”
Texas officials, meanwhile, continue to search for survivors and recover victims, including at least a dozen still missing from Camp Mystic in Kerr County.
“We won’t stop until we find every girl who was in those cabins,” Governor Abbott said in a statement.
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly described the devastation as unlike anything the region had seen before. “We didn’t know. We knew we’d get rain, we know the river rises — but nobody saw this coming,” he said Saturday. “It’s going to be a long time before we can even think about rebuilding.
