Traveling to Louisiana to visit flood-stricken residents made Donald Trump look more presidential than Hillary Clinton or even President Obama, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said in a statement Friday.

Democratic Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards had earlier grumbled about the trip, calling on Trump to volunteer or donate money for disaster relief efforts. Giuliani said it was hypocritical coming from the party that criticized President George W. Bush for failing to visit the state in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

"The Democrat governor's criticism of Mr. Trump's visit to Louisiana is an outrage and completely inconsistent with their criticism of President Bush's decision to not go to New Orleans immediately after Hurricane Katrina," Giuliani said in the statement issued by the Trump campaign.

"It is the defining principle of leadership to show up at the scene of a disaster in order to assess damage first hand," Giuliani added. "It is true leadership to go to an embattled area to rally the American people and provide aid and assistance to those suffering from the disaster."

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Giuliani invoked his experience as mayor of New York during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "During the September 11 attacks, I welcomed the leaders coming to view the devastation. It resulted in overwhelming support for the victims' families and it gave the people of New York a strong indication that they were not alone.

"Today, Donald Trump acted more presidential than the president himself, by immediately going to Louisiana while President Obama chose to continue playing golf and Hillary Clinton phoned in her views," he added.

The Red Cross has characterized the flooding in Louisiana as the worst natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy hit the Northeast four years ago. Obama has been criticized for continuing to play golf in Martha's Vineyard instead of reaching out to the 40,000 families who lost their homes. Bill and Hillary Clinton also are on the Massachusetts island, where the former president on Friday reportedly celebrated his 70th birthday.