Tropical Depression 13, which became Hurricane Laura, began at 11:00 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, August 19. This was five hours after President Trump said at the White House that the Saudis will follow suit amid the UAE-Israel deal and that he would have interest in selling F-35s to the UAE.
Secretary State Mike Pompeo traveled to Israel, Sudan, Bahrain, UAE and Oman this week (chronology below).
The Category 4 150 mph Hurricane Laura intensified on Wednesday, August 26 the day of Vice President Mike Pence’s speech and came ashore in the early morning hours of Thursday, the day President Trump gave his acceptance speech.
Hurricane Laura’s landing did not occur a day before, or a day after, but on the very day of President Trump’s message to the nation.
According to the Weather Channel, experts put Laura among the top 10 most powerful hurricanes to hit the U.S. The storm is also the strongest hurricane on record to hit this part of the Gulf coast, with wind speeds that reached nearly 150 mph before landfall, according to Space City Weather.