President Trump forced governors to flatter him and ask 'nicely' to get vital federal disaster aid, a new book says
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- Trump made governors beg him personally for federal aid after natural disasters, a new book claims.
- Two governors described Trump saying he would authorize aid if he was asked "nicely."
- The revelations are made in an upcoming book by two New York Times reporters.
Former President Donald Trump made governors flatter him personally for federal aid after natural disasters, a new book says.
The revelations are made in an upcoming book, "This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden, and the Battle for America's Future," by New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns, according to The Independent.
In the book, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican, said Trump told governors who wanted aid: "You have to call and ask me nicely."
Hogan claimed that Trump had a policy in which only Texas and Florida, two states with governors Trump considered close allies, would be given federal aid when needed without question.
Governor Ned Lamont of Connecticut, a Democrat, recounted a similar experience, The Independent reported.
Lamont said he asked the White House for assistance in obtaining federal disaster aid after a storm in August 2020 left parts of Connecticut without electrical power.
He was surprised when he received a call from then-President Trump himself hours later, who said: "There's something you want me to ask about FEMA?"
When Lamont replied that he wanted to ask about FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) aid, Trump reportedly said: "Well, ask me nicely."
The governor told the book authors that he felt like Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the infamous 2019 call in which Trump pressured him to investigate Joe Biden while withholding vital military aid.
Lamont said he decided to play along and flatter Trump into agreeing, telling him "it would mean a lot to the people" if Trump "could bring it upon himself" to authorize the aid, The Independent reported.
The flattery worked, and Trump reportedly replied: "You got it."
Trump has long had a reputation for demanding and rewarding devotion to him.
As president, he publicly demanded that governors show deference to the administration during the COVID-19 crisis, saying, "I want them to be appreciative."
He also implied that he told his Vice President Mike Pence not to take calls from state executives that "don't treat you right."
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