President Trump on Thursday praised the Coast Guard for its hurricane recovery work in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, adding that the military branch’s brand is on the rise because of its efforts.
“It is an honor to be here, I have to tell you. You know, the Coast Guard, always respected, but if you were looking at it as a brand, there’s no brand that went up more than the Coast Guard, with what happened in Texas,” Trump told service members during a visit to the Coast Guard’s Lake Work Inlet Station in Florida.
During their visit, Trump and First Lady Melania Trump handed out sandwiches to service members and discussed the state of the country. {mosads}
The president specifically recognized the Coast Guard’s work in Texas, which faced historic floods in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Service members helped to save 16,00 lives, Trump said.
Trump then noted the branch’s work in assisting after Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria, which damaged Florida and Puerto Rico.
“I think that there is no brand — of any kind, I’m not just talking about a military branch — that has gone up more than the Coast Guard,” Trump said.
“We went, we went together to Texas, and we saw what you were doing. And you just followed that storm, right next to that storm, and you just, you saved so many people.”
The president also touted the state of the nation’s economy, as he had in his official Thanksgiving message to the country.
Trump then discussed new equipment the government is ordering for the military, including Navy ships and Air Force planes, including one that he said is “almost like an invisible fighter.”