La. gov tells Trump to volunteer or donate instead of coming for photo-op

The governor of Louisiana is telling Donald Trump to stay away from the state if he only intends to show up for a photo-op and leave.

“Donald Trump hasn’t called the governor to inform him of his visit,” Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) said in a statement Friday morning. “We welcome him to LA, but not for a photo-op.”

{mosads}The governor’s office added that if the Republican presidential nominee is interested in helping flood victims, he should “consider volunteering or making a sizable donation to the LA Flood Relief Fund” instead.

Trump’s campaign announced Thursday that he and his running mate, Mike Pence, on Friday will tour flood-stricken Baton Rouge, where at least 13 people have died and thousands have been displaced.

The Advocate, a leading Louisiana newspaper, joined Republicans on Thursday in calling President Obama to cut short his summer vacation and visit the area himself.

But Edwards asked the president to keep away, too, so as to not divert much-needed emergency resources to road closures and security detail.

“Quite frankly, that is something I don’t want to go through right now,” Edwards said. “While the president is welcome to visit, I’d rather he give us another week or two. And then he can visit.”