Trump praises crowd size while touring Harvey damage

President Trump praised the size of a crowd gathered Tuesday to see him as he visits Corpus Christi, Texas, in the aftermath Tropical Storm Harvey.

“What a crowd, what a turnout,” Trump said to a crowd of several hundred people surrounding a fire station, according to a White House pool report.

The president reportedly spoke from a ladder between two fire trucks.

“Thank you,” Trump said to cheers.

{mosads}”We love you, you are special, we are here to take care of you,” Trump said. “It’s going well.”

Trump and first lady Melania Trump are visiting parts of Texas affected by the storm, which began as a Category 4 hurricane. 

In his speech to the crowd, Trump thanked Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and the state’s senators, Ted Cruz (R) and John Cornyn (R).

“This has been a total collaborative effort,” Trump said. 

“It’s historic, it’s epic, but I tell you it happened in Texas, and Texas can handle anything.”

Trump received cheers from some in the crowd as he concluded his speech by holding up the Texas flag, but some in the crowd carried banners criticizing Trump.

“Liar, cheat, racist,” one banner read. Another bashed him for his recent pardon of former Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio, saying, “You pardoned Joe, what about Jose?” — a reference to the president’s hardline stance on immigration .