Obama's Former Photographer Schools Trump on Empathy After Texas Visit

By Chelsea Adelaine Hassler

President Obama with a victim of Hurricane Sandy. There are no Democrats or Republicans hurting in Houston; there are just Americans. At a time like this, it shouldn't be about selling baseball hats or commenting on crowd size. It's about helping our fellow human beings. Pets too. This storm is catastrophic, not epic. Thousands of people are affected. Please consider donating to the many charities doing good work in Texas and other states to come. I am donating to the Red Cross and other local charities today but please feel free to comment on other worthy charities that you would recommend to me and others. (UPDATE: As one of your fellow followers points out, The NY Times has a good list of how to help victims and avoid scams. I posted the link in my profile. But keep suggesting others.)

A post shared by Pete Souza (@petesouza) on

Former White House photographer Pete Souza has once again taken to Instagram to point out the stark comparison between President Donald Trump and Barack Obama, and, as usual, he's provided the most clear and pointed criticism of the president's behavior. The Aug. 30 post features a photo of Obama hugging a woman after Hurricane Sandy and comes just one day after Trump visited Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

The quick day trip was notable insofar as it featured First Lady Melania Trump wearing completely inappropriate footwear and an ill-advised hat, while the president himself spoke of the "incredible" crowd size at his appearance and seemed to completely miss the point of the visit. As Texans continue to undergo search-and-rescue missions and look toward recovering what was lost in the Category 4 storm, it was clear that the real heroes of the day were the individuals putting their lives in danger to save those less fortunate, and not the two visiting residents of the White House. And it's that exact sentiment that Souza captured in the caption that went along with his post.

"There are no Democrats or Republicans hurting in Houston; there are just Americans," Souza wrote. "At a time like this, it shouldn't be about selling baseball hats or commenting on crowd size. It's about helping our fellow human beings. Pets too. This storm is catastrophic, not epic. Thousands of people are affected. Please consider donating to the many charities doing good work in Texas and other states to come. I am donating to the Red Cross and other local charities today but please feel free to comment on other worthy charities that you would recommend to me and others."

We couldn't agree with Souza more — so here's a whole bunch of ways that you, too, can help out victims of Hurricane Harvey.