Donald Trump told a victim of Hurricane Florence in North Carolina that “at least you got a nice boat out of the deal” after a yacht ended up in his garden.

On a visit to New Bern, one of the areas worst affected by the storm, the US president sought to comfort residents and, at one point, introduce some levity among the destruction.

During a packed day, he visited both North and South Carolina, distributed meals at a church, walked amid piles of sodden furniture in damaged neighbourhoods, offered hugs and handshakes to residents and discussed the response efforts with local and state officials.

“America grieves with you and our hearts break for you,” he said during a briefing at a marine base in Havelock, NC. “We will never forget your loss. We will never leave your side. We’re with you all the way.”

The president’s emotional words and comprehensive itinerary contrasted with his trip to Puerto Rico last year after Hurricane Maria, when he drew criticism for throwing rolls of paper towels into the crowd, as if shooting hoops in basketball.

However, Mr Trump’s outsize personality came through in a number of moments – he asked about the status of Lake Norman, where he owns a golf club, telling officials, “I can’t tell you why, but I love that area.”

And he joked with a family who had a large white yacht they did not own wash up next to their house. “Is this your boat, or did it become your boat?” he asked. “At least you got a nice boat out of the deal. What’s the law? Maybe it becomes theirs.”

He was also caught on camera telling a person to whom he had just handed food to “have a good time”.

Roy Cooper, the North Carolina governor, said his state had been dealt a “gut punch” by the “epic” storm. Twenty-seven people were killed in North Carolina out of 37 in total.

Heavy flooding persisted as Mr Trump made his visit, while workers toiled to restore power to the quarter of a million people who lost electricity last week.