Prez to skip Houston on Texas tour

PRESIDENT TRUMP will avoid Houston when he travels to Texas Tuesday and will visit locations “closer” to where Hurricane Harvey landed, officials said Monday.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Trump would avoid the city hit hardest by Harvey so he will “not be getting into harm’s way or interrupting the evacuations or emergency response.”

“He most likely will be going closer to where the hurricane hit land,” Abbott said on “CBS This Morning.”

The White House has not released an itinerary for Trump’s trip.

Vice President Pence told Houston’s KTRH radio Monday that Trump is “anxious” to arrive in Houston, and the administration will be there “for the long haul” for rebuilding. Officials in Texas have said recovery efforts will last for years.

Trump told reporters he plans to return to Texas on Saturday.

Abbott has praised the administration’s response to the storm, saying Trump and FEMA have shown an “A-plus” effort.

On Twitter and in remarks to reporters, Trump has appeared somewhat aloof. He repeatedly tweeted about the storm on Sunday, emphasizing its unprecedented size but saying nothing about the people who have died. He mentioned nothing about lost lives in remarks to reporters Monday, but did praise Texans’ spirit in the face of tragedy.

“We will get through this. We will come out stronger,” he said.