Karoline Leavitt slammed for calling Texas floods 'act of God' amid questions over late warnings

WASHINGTON, DC: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt faced backlash for attributing the devastating Texas floods, which have claimed over 100 lives, to an "act of God."

The Donald Trump administration’s press secretary stood behind the White House podium on Monday, July 7, taking questions about the natural disaster and the administration's response.

“Question on the flooding in Texas,” one reporter began. “I know there has been some concern over the timing of the alerts. Knowing that they did go out, with the warnings coming out in the wee hours, so while many people were likely sleeping, can you share, just detail to us, what you know about why those warnings were sent while people were likely sleeping, and then what the administration's doing to ensure that these alerts come out sooner?” they asked.

Leavitt responded, “Well, the alerts imminently were sent out before the flood when people were sleeping because the flood hit in the very early hours of the morning. So, people were sleeping in the middle of the night when this flood came.”

She added, "That was an act of God, it's not the administration's fault that the flood hit when it did," she continued. "But there were early and consistent warnings, and, again, the National Weather Service did its job."

Internet drags Karoline Leavitt's 'act of God' explanation for Texas floods

Clips of Karoline Leavitt’s comments quickly spread on social media, and critics weren’t buying what she was selling.

"'People were sleeping' isn’t a defense, it’s why you send alerts sooner, not later. That’s the point of emergency management, not an excuse for failure," one user posted on X.

"They couldn’t blame Biden for this one, so they blamed God," another snarked.

"An 'act of God' that will keep happening due to Trump’s gutting of NOAA. Guaranteed," someone else alleged.

"That’s BS. Those alarms are loud as hell, they wake you up. Trump cut services and it backfired," read another comment.

"The more she denies it, the more it seems like it’s kinda the admin’s fault. An act of God who is obviously not happy about the worship of false idols," another user offered.

National Weather Service was fully staffed and issued early warnings before Texas floods

Meanwhile, pressure is rising back on the ground in Texas, where families are still searching for missing loved ones. Questions remain about whether the tragedy could have been prevented, or at least better mitigated.

According to the Associated Press, local officials are facing “intensifying scrutiny” over why riverside residents and summer camps weren’t evacuated or warned earlier. Some left-wing pundits accused Donald Trump of gutting essential agencies like NOAA and leaving the National Weather Service (NWS) shorthanded. But that narrative didn’t hold water.

It turns out the New Braunfels NWS office wasn’t just fully staffed, it was overstaffed the night of the storm. “There were extra people in here that night, and that’s typical in every weather service office, you staff up for an event and bring people in on overtime and hold people over,” said Jason Runyen, spokesperson for the NWS office.

He added that while a typical clear-weather night might have just two forecasters on shift, there were up to five meteorologists on duty the night the flood hit.

The NWS had issued flash flood warnings and even declared flash flood emergencies, a rare and high-alert designation, early on July 4. 

Donald Trump declares disaster, Kristi Noem promises big fixes

In the aftermath, the Donald Trump administration didn’t waste time on red tape. The president quickly issued a Major Disaster Declaration, unlocking federal resources and activating FEMA across the state. 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also stepped in to reassure local leaders, promising that the federal government had their backs. “I do carry your concerns back to the federal government and to President Trump,” Noem said. “And we will do all we can to fix those kinds of things that may have felt like a failure to you and to your community members.”

Noem also noted that upgrades are already underway to ensure future alerts come faster and with greater impact. “We know that everybody wants more warning time, and that’s why we’re working to upgrade the technologies that [have] been neglected [for] far too long,” she explained, describing them as “ancient.”

That said, the overall death toll has surpassed 100 as of this writing, with at least 104 confirmed fatalities, including 28 children. The number of missing persons across the state is still being determined, but dozens remain unaccounted for.

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