Donald Trump uses visit to hurricane-ravaged Florida to encourage governor to run for Senate
This is the President's first visit to Florida since Hurricane Irma hit
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Your support makes all the difference.In his first visit to Florida since Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc on the state, Donald Trump used his national spotlight to encourage one of his supporters to run for Senate.
The President travelled to Fort Meyers, Florida to address Hurricane Irma rescue workers and members of the Coast Guard. He was accompanied by Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Governor Rick Scott.
Mr Trump, sporting a white USA hat, thanked the crowd assembled. He spoke briefly about the hurricane recovery effort, before turning his attention to Mr Scott.
"I have to say, what do I know, but I hope this man right here, Rick Scott, runs for the Senate," Mr Trump said. "I don't know what he's going to do, but I know that at a certain point, it ends for you, and we can't let it end."
Mr Scott, whose term expires in 2018, is a Republican favourite to run against incumbent Democratic Senator Bill Nelson. Mr Scott vigorously endorsed Mr Trump in 2015, even before he was chosen as the party’s nominee. He accompanied the President on his first dinner out in Washington after Inauguration Day.
Mr Scott has received increased media attention in the wake of Hurricane Irma's devastation.
The Category 4 storm destroyed a quarter of the houses in the Florida Keys, and killed 24 people across the state. Hundreds of thousands of people are still without electricity. Last weekend, eight people died after being left in a Florida nursing home without air conditioning.
Mr Scott used his close relationship with the President to his advantage during the storm, talking with Mr Trump by phone every day as the hurricane approached. The administration quickly approved his request for a disaster declaration. In an interview with Politico, Mr Scott said the President gave him “everything I’ve asked for”.
“Just spoke to @POTUS - he offered the full resources of the federal government as Floridians prepare for Hurricane Irma,” Mr Scott tweeted the day after the storm hit Florida.
On Thursday, Mr Trump called the Governor’s hurricane response “incredible,” and bragged that it was being “talked about all over”.
“The job he’s done is incredible, and I guess I’ve been very lucky because, you know, you have a great governor in Texas; you have a great governor in Florida,” the President said.
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