'Flood watch Barbie': Melania in heels; Donald Trump on 'crowd size'

Melania Trump has left the White House to travel to storm-ravaged Texas in thin heels. She accompanied her husband US President Donald Trump in observing Hurricane Harvey relief efforts on Tuesday morning. The US leader also gave a briefing at a fire station.

The first lady was photographed as she walked across the White House lawn in stiletto pumps. Along with the thin heels, she sported an army green bomber jacket with ruched sleeves, tailored capri pants and aviator sunglasses.

Many tweeted their thoughts about Melania’s outfit. Maria Del Russo said the FLOTUS was looking like Flood Watch Barbie. Comedian Jessica Kirson quipped that she could pick up debris with her heels. A spokeswoman for the first lady told Vogue that Melania will change her shoes on the plane.

'What a crowd, what a turnout'

The POTUS, after surveying Hurricane Harvey damage in Corpus Christi, addressed the victims of the storm. He also praised those who had come to hear his remarks, saying, “What a crowd, what a turnout.”

Trump spoke to a “throng of hundreds” outside the Annaville Fire House, according to a press pool report. “We love you, you are special, we are here to take care of you," he reportedly said as he demonstrated his commitment to the region in the grips of tropical storm Harvey.

The president also expressed gratitude to the two US senators for Texas, saying it has been a total cooperative effort. "It's historic, its epic, but I tell you it happened in Texas and Texas can handle anything,” he added.

The New York Times reports that members of Trump’s staff described the trip as mainly a humanitarian mission, and that the POTUS winced seeing televised scenes of ruin and rescue on the flooded streets of Houston. Trump also urged state and federal officials to make the response a model for the future.

Officials involved in the meeting with the president sought to allay concerns about conditions at the convention centre in downtown Houston, where a makeshift shelter designed to accommodate 5,000 has become home to 9,000 residents who fled rising floodwaters.

Trump also heard from other officials in Austin, including the secretary of housing and urban development Ben Carson. “The president wants to be very cautious about making sure that any activity doesn’t disrupt any of the recovery efforts,” Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, told reporters.