When Donald Trump said he had witnessed "first hand" the horrors of Hurricane Harvey, it did not mean he had met with victims of the storm, the White House has said.

Mr Trump was criticised after he visited Texas, which has been devastated by flooding. He did not meet victims and, during a speech, marvelled at the size of the crowd that turned out to see him.

Standing outside a Corpus Christi fire station, Mr Trump said, "Thank you. We love you, you are special, we are here to take care of you. It’s going well." He added: "What a crowd, what a turnout."

He tweeted later: "After witnessing first hand the horror & devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey,my heart goes out even more so to the great people of Texas!"

Andrew Beatty, the White House correspondent for the AFP news agency, tweeted in response: "I traveled with the President yesterday. Personally, I would not claim to have seen Harvey's horror and devastation first hand."

Asked by a reporter what the President had meant, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said: "He met with a number of state and local officials who are eating, sleeping, breathing the Harvey disaster.

"He talked extensively with the governor, who certainly is right in the midst of every bit of this, as well as the mayors from several of the local towns that were hit hardest.

"And detailed briefing information throughout the day yesterday taking to a lot of the people on the ground. That certainly is a first hand account."

Houston police chief gets emotional describing officer who died in hurricane Harvey

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Mr Trump showed "genuine compassion" during a short flight to Austin as they watched video footage of the flooding in Houston.

The President deliberately kept his distance from the epicentre of the damage in Houston to avoid disrupting recovery operations, it was reported.

One resident of Rockport, a town about 20 miles from where Mr Trump made his speech, said: "He'd see enough if he came along here in a helicopter."

The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Show all 19 1 /19 The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A tattered U.S. flag damaged in Hurricane Harvey, flies in Conroe, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Lisa Rehr holds her four-year old son Maximus, after they lost their home to Hurricane Harvey, as they await to be evacuated with their belongings from Rockport, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People line up for food as others rest at the George R. Brown Convention Center AP Photo/LM Otero The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Volunteers with The American Red Cross register evacuees at the George R. Brown Convention Center Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Soldiers with the Texas Army National Guard help the residents of Cyprus Creek Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents wade through floodwater Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents walk along the flooded roadway of Texas 249 as they evacuate their adjacent neighborhoods EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A man floats past a truck submerged on a freeway flooded by Tropical Storm Harvey on Sunday AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued by airboat as they evacuate from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey James Archiable carries his bike through the flooded intersection at Taylor and Usenet near downtown Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A massive sinkhole opened up on a motorway in Rosenburg, a city 25 miles southwest of Houston, Texas Rosenberg Police The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in an armored police mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey on a boat in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees are airlifted in a US Coast Guard helicopter after flooding due to Hurricane Harvey inundated neighborhoods in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees leave a US Coast Guard helicopter after being rescued from flooding due to Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents look on at a submerged motorway during a break in the rain in Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People photograph the submerged motorway interchange EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Debris lies on the ground after a building was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in Aransas Pass, Texas AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Dominic Dominguez searches for his boat in a boat storage facility that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Harvey near Rockport, Texas EPA

However, critics said he failed to show enough compassion for victims. Ari Fleischer, press secretary to former President George W Bush, said his remarks were missing "empathy for the people who suffer".

Mr Trump plans to return to the region on Saturday to survey the damage and meet with some victims, Ms Sanders said.

"We are going to get you back and operating immediately," Mr Trump added in his Corpus Christi address.