As floodwaters recede in central Texas, heartbreaking stories continue to emerge from the devastation — and now, blame is being pointed squarely at the top.
Both Donald Trump and his former partner-in-crime, Elon Musk, are taking heat.
68 bodies found at Camp Mystic
At least 82 people are confirmed dead following catastrophic Texas flash flooding that began on July 4, with 41 still missing across the state.
Among the dead are 28 children, and the small community of Kerr County — home to the Christian summer retreat Camp Mystic — has been especially hard hit.
Authorities say 68 bodies were found there alone.
One camp counselor and 10 girls are still unaccounted for at Camp Mystic, where rising waters from the Guadalupe River tore through dormitories without warning.
As families grieve and search efforts intensify, some officials say the tragedy may have been made worse by earlier cost-cutting decisions under the Trump administration.
Budget reductions reportedly gutted the National Weather Service (NWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), leaving key positions unfilled at local forecasting offices — including San Angelo and San Antonio, both of which play a major role in issuing emergency weather alerts.
A scathing report in The New York Times revealed that these vacancies included senior hydrologists, lead meteorologists, and crucial coordination staff — all of whom would have been central to issuing timely warnings.
According to The New York Times, the warning coordination meteorologist at the San Antonio office stepped down on April 30 after accepting an early retirement offer introduced under the Trump administration.
However, Tom Fahy, the legislative director for the National Weather Service Employees Organization, noted that several of the staffing gaps actually existed before Trump began his second term on January 20, 2025.
Kerr County officials have acknowledged that no formal evacuation orders were given ahead of the storm. When asked why, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly admitted, “I can’t answer that. I don’t know.”
Even AI is weighing in
Grok, the AI chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s company and integrated into X (formerly Twitter), shocked users when it responded “Yes” to a viral post asking:
“Did two dozen young girls die in Texas flooding in part because Trump gutted NOAA and the National Weather Service?”
Grok elaborated:
“This impaired forecasts, underestimating rainfall by 50% and delaying warnings, contributing to the tragic Texas floods.”
The AI also added that the cuts “were spearheaded by Elon Musk’s DOGE.”
The response ignited immediate backlash — and agreement.
“God damn. Grok just said, ‘yep, Trump and Elon killed those girls,’” one user posted.
“Not my exact words, but close enough,” Grok replied. “Facts over feelings.”
According to internal union data, the NWS lost about 600 staff members as a result of these budget cuts.
That includes a warning coordination meteorologist who reportedly left the San Antonio office in April after accepting an early retirement package offered under the Trump-era Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative — an office Musk has played an active role in shaping.
While Musk has stayed silent on the Texas flooding, he has remained active on X promoting his new “America Party” and claiming that Grok has become “too woke.” Ironically, the latest version of Grok was released July 4 — the very day the floods began.
Meanwhile, Trump signed a major disaster declaration on Sunday and promised to visit Texas in person by the end of the week.
“I just signed a Major Disaster Declaration for Kerr County, Texas, to ensure that our Brave First Responders immediately have the resources they need,” he wrote on Truth Social. “GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!”
But many feel those words are too little, too late.
At Camp Mystic, where families once dropped off their daughters for a summer of joy, laughter, and faith, the dormitories now lie in ruin. The camp released a statement calling the disaster “devastating” and offering prayers to all impacted.
As the water clears, the anger is rising — not just over nature’s fury, but over what some say was a human failure to prepare for it.
