A Tuesday appearance by President Donald Trump in a community near Corpus Christi, Texas became more of a Trump rally, according to a report Thursday in The Washington Post.
Reporter Abby Phillip detailed the visit from the president, who was in the state addressing Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath.
Hundreds crowded streets at the rally at Fire Station 5 in Annaville, a small neighborhood, The Post report said.
"We've lived out here forever, you might say. I guess they started calling one another. And a lot of our friends showed up — old classmates," said resident Mark Crider.
"This is nuts — he's literally down the street from us. We see this man on the news constantly, and he's here," one man in the crowd gathering around the fire station said, according to The Post.
Samuel Dalton, a local Republican Party official, told The Post he had gotten a call the previous day to drive a van in the presidential motorcade.
"The people just started getting wind of it and they showed up. It was just remarkable and everybody appreciated very much the president coming and trying to get a feel for what are the needs," Dalton said.
Dalton said in The Post's report that he was "pleasantly surprised" at the turnout for the president
At 12:45 p.m. Trump appeared.
"Thank you, everybody. What a crowd. What a turnout!" he said. The president waved a Texas flag in front of a fire truck, the report said.
U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold told South Texas's KIII TV that Trump chose the Annaville site so that his appearance would interfere less with recovery efforts.
Trump could be seen, but the crowd was unable to hear him, according to The Post.
The White House posted Trump's remarks.
"It happened in Texas, and Texas can handle anything," Trump said at the station.
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