The White House just thanked Donald Trump for something no president has ever been credited with before. The official Rapid Response account sparked widespread ridicule after appearing to credit Trump for the historically quiet Atlantic hurricane season.
White House responded after a meteorologist highlighted the record hurricane lull
The White House’s Rapid Response 47 account on Saturday credited President Donald Trump for the absence of hurricanes in the Atlantic this season. The official account wrote “Thank you, President Trump!” on X after influencer Chris Martz highlighted reports about the historic lull. No hurricanes have formed this year, even during what would normally be peak season.
The National Hurricane Center confirmed that only five relatively weak tropical storms have developed so far. None are likely to form for at least another week. The White House did not explain how Trump had supposedly prevented hurricanes from forming.
Scientists attribute the quiet season entirely to a powerful El Niño pattern in the equatorial Pacific. Kristen Corbosiero, a University at Albany atmospheric science professor, described the hostile conditions for storm formation. “Anything that tries to form is just getting this triple whammy” of shearing winds, dry air, and downward-pushing pressure, she said, per the IrishStar.
El Niño’s effects have been unusually dominant this year, according to five experts who spoke with The Associated Press. Colorado State University meteorologist Phil Klotzbach noted the severity of conditions. “It’s just hammering the Atlantic. It’s just impressive,” Klotzbach said. “We haven’t even had anything really even close to a hurricane.”
The post drew widespread mockery on social media from users across the political spectrum. “Thanking a politician for the weather is like thanking your landlord for the sunrise,” one commenter wrote. However, experts caution against complacency during the ongoing season. Several pointed to 1992’s Hurricane Andrew, which arrived late but caused devastating destruction during an otherwise quiet El Niño year.
