Republicans have urged President Barack Obama to cut short his summer vacation to show solidarity with a state that’s been trying to deal with the worst natural disaster in the U.S. since Hurricane Sandy. | Getty Obama to visit flood-ravaged Louisiana on Tuesday

President Barack Obama will visit Louisiana next week, the White House announced Friday.

Obama will travel to Baton Rouge on Tuesday, press secretary Josh Earnest said, noting that Obama’s team reached that date after coordinating with state officials.


“Additional details will be announced in the coming days. The president is mindful of the impact that his travel has on first responders and wants to ensure that his presence does not interfere with ongoing recovery efforts,” Earnest said. “He is also eager to get a first-hand look at the impact of the devastating floods, hear from more officials about the response, including how the federal government can assist and tell the people of Louisiana that the American people will be with them as they rebuild their community and come back stronger than ever.”

Republicans have urged Obama to cut short his summer vacation on Martha’s Vineyard to show solidarity with a state that’s been trying to deal with the worst natural disaster in the U.S. since Hurricane Sandy.

The Republican presidential ticket flew into Baton Rouge on Friday morning to visit those impacted by the severe flooding. During his visit with Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, Donald Trump told volunteers at a church in Greenwell Springs that Obama doesn’t want to visit the state, suggesting golf is more important to the president.

“The president says he doesn’t want to come, he is trying to get out of a golf game,” Trump said, according to ABC News. “He will never be under par.”

Hillary Clinton spoke with Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards by phone Friday. Clinton said the flood, which was much larger than anticipated, has damaged more than 40,000 homes, impacting more than 100,000 people.

“My heart breaks for Louisiana, and right now, the relief effort can't afford any distractions. The very best way this team can help is to make sure Louisianans have the resources they need," Clinton wrote in a Facebook post, which included links to the Red Cross and the Baton Rouge Area Foundation.

Edwards’ office on Thursday warned against outside politicians visiting the state too soon — particularly Trump. “We welcome him to LA but not for a photo-op,” a spokesman for the governor’s office said in a statement. “Instead we hope he’ll consider volunteering or making a sizable donation to the LA Flood Relief Fund to help the victims of the storm.”

Edwards, a Democrat, himself praised the Obama administration’s response to the disaster and defended Obama from the broadside over his decision to remain on vacation.

“The president is welcome to visit whenever he wants to visit, and when he wants to visit we’re gonna receive him and we’re gonna do whatever’s necessary to make sure that that visit goes off without a hitch,” Edwards said Thursday.

But he also tried to nudge the White House to stay away for a while, noting that when Vice President Joe Biden visited Louisiana to attend police officers’ memorials, his visit closed down interstates and drew law enforcement officers away from their regular duties to provide additional security for Biden.

“Quite frankly, that is not something that I want to go through right now,” he said. “And so while the president is welcome to visit, I would just as soon he give us another week or two, get back to a greater sense of normalcy here and then he can visit. Well, I’ll say that differently: He can visit whenever he wants to.”