Trump heading to Alabama on Friday after deadly tornadoes
President Trump says he'll head to Alabama on Friday, after tornadoes ravaged communities there and killed more than 20 people. One family lost seven members.
The president made the announcement during a signing ceremony for an executive order aimed to address veteran suicides. Roughly 20 veterans per day take their own lives, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In 2016, the suicide rate among veterans was 1.5 times higher than non-veterans, according to the VA.
The order creates a new Cabinet-level task force, run by Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie, but that also includes the defense, health and human services and homeland security secretaries. The task force's job is to create a "public health roadmap" to improve veterans' quality of life and end veteran suicides. It's unclear what that will look like yet.
"We're going to take care of them like never before," the president said of veterans, adding veterans are the country's "single greatest national treasure."
But as soon as the signing was over, Mr. Trump was asked about congressional Democrats' investigations into his administration, and went off on the "witch hunt" probes.
"What the Democrats want to do, they could not stand the loss, they could not stand losing in 2016," Mr. Trump said."
Mr. Trump blamed Democrats of wanting to "play games," instead of focusing on legislation on infrastructure and health care.
"They've started the campaign," the president said. "So the campaign begins."
Mr. Trump has blasted Democrats on Twitter, after the House Judiciary Committee on Monday launched a wide-ranging investigation into his administration by targeting documents from 81 people and entities. The top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler, is is probing allegations of obstruction of justice and public corruption.
The president has already declared the probe and other congressional investigations "PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT."
