Donald Trump criticised the media for not doing the coast guard's job

Houston, Texas ravaged by Hurricane Harvey was visited by President Donald Trump again on Saturday.

On his first visit since Tuesday, the President and First Lady Melania met with survivors of Harvey in a shelter in Houston, and joined volunteers handing out packed lunches to the shelter's residents.

The President also met with members of the Coast Guard at Ellington Field joint reserve base.

In a statement to the press, President Trump praised the work of the Coast Guard for their work during the Harvey rescue operations.

He then criticised the media for not doing the same job as the Coast Guard.

I hear the Coast Guard saved 11,000 people.

Think of it, almost 11,000 people by going into winds the media would not go into.

They will not go in those winds.

Unless it's a really good story, in which case they will. 

A Huffington Post reporter's reply has been retweeted 20,000 times:

In July the Trump Administration dropped its proposals for a 14 per cent cut in the Coast Guard budget, promising instead to 'sustain current funding levels'.

According to Breaking Defense, the US Coast Guard has already cut corners to stay within its current budget, allowing roughly 600 illegal drug shipments to pass each year due to lack of ships and planes to police them.

Admiral Paul Zukunft told the Defense Writers' Group that repairs to on shore facilities were repeatedly postponed due to lack of funding.

It took Hurricane Sandy [2012] battering the Coast Guard Academy to free up necessary funding for repairs there.

While the President's jibe at the media is not unusual, it also neglects the work of reporters who have helped save lives during Hurricane Harvey.

On 27 August, KHOU reporter Brandi Smith flagged down a rescue boat live on air, saving the life of a truck driver stuck in 10 feet of water, whose cab was steadily filling up.

According to the BBC Harvey has been attributed to 47 deaths, and approximately 43,000 people have been relocated to temporary shelters due to the severe flooding caused by the tropical depression.

After visiting the victims in the shelter, the President and First Lady travelled to another flood site, Lake Charles, Louisiana, before returning to Washington.

More: The difference between Donald Trump and his predecessors, in four photos