The incendiary remark from the crowd came as Trump, standing before about 7,000 people who had gathered at an outdoor amphitheater in the hurricane-damaged Gulf Coast town, railed against what he described as an “invasion” of migrants attempting to enter the United States. Often, he claimed, “two or three” border agents will contend with the arrival of “hundreds and hundreds of people.”<doc-sep>President Donald Trump announced $448 million in new disaster relief funding for the hurricane-ravaged Florida Panhandle on Wednesday night, at his first campaign rally in the state since the 2018 midterms. "These dollars will help communities get back on their feet. We've already given you many many millions of dollars but these are additional monies that are coming in to help the families put their lives together," the president told the crowd, which was jammed into the outdoor Aaron Bessant Park amphitheater in Panama City Beach, Florida. Trump was speaking to his supporters at the political rally near a community still fighting for disaster aid several months after Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 storm, ravaged the area. For some in the region, it's not about the community's chance to see the president -- it's about the president's chance to see the community. "We're just encouraged that [Trump] is going to spend his time back in this area. And maybe he can see progress of where we are but how much more we need to have from Congress," Panama City Manager Mark McQueen told ABC News. The president's visit falls on National Hurricane Preparedness Week, launched by the White House with the hope of encouraging Americans living in hurricane-prone areas "to take the measures necessary to safeguard their families, homes, and businesses." "My Administration is continuing its efforts to enhance storm tracking and intensity predictions to help save lives and livelihoods by giving communities adequate time to prepare. We are committed to ensuring that the United States will produce the best weather forecasting model in the world," Trump said in a statement released by the White House. The Trump administration notes its efforts to prioritize and invest in mitigation actions -- while criticizing Democrats for what he says is their holding up of a disaster relief funding deal. On Wednesday night, holding a chart, the president told his supporters that Puerto Rico has received more funding than any other state or territory. "Puerto Rico got $91 billion dollars and I understand they don't like me. It's the most money we've ever given to any anybody," the president said. "I have a great relationship with the people of Puerto Rico, but it hasn't been fair the way they've treated all of us from the standpoint of the leaders, because they complain they want more money, they got 91 billion," the president said. But according to the Associated Press, Congress has distributed $11 billion for Puerto Rico so far, not $91 billion. The AP reports the White House said the president's estimate includes about $50 billion in expected future disaster aid in addition to the $41 billion approved. Similarly, a Washington Post fact check said the $91 billion figure is a high-end 20-year estimate of potential liabilities the island could face in its long-term recovery for the hurricane, and not reflective of the money actually paid out for relief. The president also tore into a number of the Democrats who are running to challenge him in 2020. "I'll take any of them, let's just pick somebody please and let's just start this thing," the president said, before ripping into a handful of Democrats running for president. "Pick somebody!" Trump added. "One of the Democrats today said that he, it's a he, a sleepy person, said that he heard from a lot of foreign leaders and they want him to be president," Trump said referring to former Vice President Joe Biden. "Well, of course they do. So they can continue to rip off the United States, of course they do. I think if I heard that I'd never vote for him." Trump then turned his attention to Sen. Bernie Sanders. "And then you have Bernie. Bernie. Then you have Bernie," he said. "We got some real beauties. Crazy Bernie. You got a choice between sleepy Joe and crazy Bernie." The president continued, "We have a young man, Boot Edge Edge," he said, referencing South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg. "Boot Edge Edge. They say: Edge Edge -- He's got a great chance, doesn't he? He'll be great. He'll be great. He'll be representing us against President Xi of China, that would be great," Trump said. "That would be great. I want to be in that room I want to watch that one." "Beto, boy is he falling like a rock, what the hell happened to Beto?" Trump asked during the Florida rally, taking aim at former Rep. Beto O'Rourke. Near Trump's rally, Panama City is still working to clean up after Hurricane Michael ripped through the Florida Panhandle in October. "If you take Hurricane Irma that went through basically 15 counties of Florida, there was 2.3 million cubic yards of debris," Panama City Mayor Greg Brudnicki said. "In Panama City alone, we have picked up nearly 4 million cubic yards so far, in our little 36-mile footprint." The storm's 155-mph winds ripped through parts of the Panhandle, destroying homes, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Dozens were killed. Brudnicki, who described the damage as "catastrophic," had to chisel his way out of his own home, using handsaws and chainsaws to cut through debris. When he finally emerged, he soon saw the scope of the damage. "To get out to the road and to be able to traverse -- it was unbelievable the amount of debris that we could see. And until you start picking it up, you really don't understand or know the devastation," Brudnicki said. In Bay County alone, 31 million cubic yards of debris have been picked up -- enough to fill 12 million standard-sized truck beds, according to city aides. But the cost to pick up the debris exceeds the city's annual budget. Panama City estimates cleanup efforts could reach $150 million, but the average annual budget for the city is just $90 million. "When we say we're looking for help from the federal government, the reason is that all of these expenses need to be paid for when billed. It's not like we're looking for money to rebuild buildings that got devastated. This is just to clean up so we can find where the buildings used to be, to start working," Brudnicki said. Much of the region's focus is on housing and education. As residents scurry to find a stable place to call home, the U.S. Postal Service has reported more than 14,000 change-of-address filings. There are also more than 5,500 homeless children with no permanent address. City officials remain hopeful as they look to emerge bigger, better and stronger from a storm that wiped so much life out of their community. "I know many other cities have gone 10 to 15 years in terms of recovery -- we're going to push the envelope. In three to five years, we want to be well on our way to recovery," McQueen said. But to get there, he believes it will take a whole government approach and investment into affected communities. "The federal government needs to come to bear. The state, the county and the city need to apply resources, as well as private capital and philanthropic revenues that can help to change the outcome of Panama City," McQueen continued. For Brudnicki and McQueen, the president's trip comes fresh off their own visit to the nation's capital, where they made an in-person plea to lawmakers to take action and move forward with disaster relief aid. They joined a chorus of other elected officials putting pressure on Congress for more disaster relief aid after their communities were severely damaged in a variety of natural disasters. "We met with a number of members of Congress, we met with a number of agencies. And the assessment is that we feel very optimistic that Congress will take up a supplemental that will help not just Panama City, but all of these disasters that took place in the United States," McQueen said. Aid, however, has reached a series of roadblocks. Initially stalled by the longest government shutdown in history, it is now deadlocked in Congress. Brudnicki, McQueen and other officials left Washington empty-handed. Trump visited the area shortly after Hurricane Michael touched down and toured ravaged communities.<doc-sep>CEO of ADL: Seeing a 'blitzkrieg of anti-Jewish' acts across US 'Stay out': Fulton County official reacts to potential GOP visit during audit Dana Bash: This is so telling about where the Republican party is NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 24: Trump Tower stands on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on August 24, 2018 in New York City. Following new allegations over hush money that former Trump attorney Michael Cohen paid to an adult-film actress, the Manhattan district attorneyÕs office in New York City may seek criminal charges against the Trump Organization in the coming days. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Why GOP is standing in the way of Capitol riot investigation WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: US Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-VA) remarks on the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at the US Capitol November 8, 2006 in Washington, DC. Warner said he supports President George W. Bush's nomination of former CIA Director Robert Gates for Secretary of Defense. Warner said he anticipates Gates' confirmation before the end of the year. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), joined by Senate Assistant Minority Leader John Thune (R-SD) (L) and Senate Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO), speaks following a Senate Republican Policy luncheon at the Russell Senate Office Building on May 18, 2021 in Washington, DC. Hear what Matt Gaetz said about Paul Ryan before his speech Former GOP senator: If McConnell said this, 'it's shameful' 'Some people have no shame': Biden calls out GOP lawmakers with list (CNN) — President Donald Trump made a joke Wednesday night when someone in the audience at his campaign rally suggested migrants crossing into the United States should be shot. Trump outlined his concerns about the US-Mexico border, making the case for his long-sought border wall: “When you have 15,000 people marching up, and you have hundreds and hundreds of people, and you have two or three border security people that are brave and great. “And don’t forget, we don’t let them and we can’t let them use weapons. We can’t. Other countries do. We can’t. I would never do that. But how do you stop these people?” the President said. Someone in the audience interrupted Trump, shouting: “Shoot them!” Trump chuckled at the shouted remark before shaking his head, as the crowd began to laugh. “That’s only in the Panhandle you can get away with that statement,” the President then said with a smile, with the crowd erupting into laughter. “Only in the Panhandle!” The Trump campaign did not immediately return a request for comment. The riff came during a rally in Panama City Beach, a town in the Florida Panhandle where Trump drove up big margins of support to help him win the state in 2016. Trump’s aggressive stance against illegal immigration has put him at odds with Democrats on how to stem the problem, but it has remained a signature campaign issue for the President.<doc-sep>
A day after the acting Homeland Security secretary estimated that more than 1 percent of the populations of Guatemala and Honduras had entered the U.S. since September, President Trump declared an “invasion” at the U.S.-Mexico border. Meanwhile, his administration expects record numbers of migrants to arrive from Central America in the coming months. "When you see these caravans starting out with 20,000 people, that's an invasion,” Trump said at his Wednesday evening “Make American Great Again” rally in Panama City, Fla., defending his declaration of a national emergency at the border earlier this year. “No nation can tolerate a massive organized violation of its immigration laws. And no one should run for office without an ironclad pledge to protect and defend America's borders." TRUMP DEFENDS NATIONAL EMERGENCY DECLARATION AT MEXICO BORDER, SAYS DEMS 'DON'T MIND CRIME' The White House recently proposed charging asylum-seekers a fee to process their applications in an effort to crack down on the surge of Central American migrants trying to cross into the U.S. In a speech Tuesday to the 49th Washington Conference of the Americas, acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan described why most migrants arriving at the U.S. border come from Guatemala, Honduras or El Salvador. “Guatemala and Honduras have seen over 1 percent of their total population migrate to the U.S. in the first seven months of this fiscal year,” McAleenan said, citing government-funded research completed by Vanderbilt University. He said most migrants come to escape extreme poverty and stay because of a flawed U.S. immigration system. “One department of Guatemala, Huehuetenango, has seen almost 35,000 of its residents — close to 3 percent of the population — migrate to the U.S. in that time frame,” McAleenan added. The flawed U.S. immigration system often permits families and unaccompanied minors to live in the United States for months or years as their asylum claims are processed, even though most will never obtain legal status. Central Americans notice family or neighbors leave and successfully make it into the U.S., so they too choose to embark on the journey, the DHS chief explained. “In March, we had over 103,000 irregular arrivals of undocumented migrants — 90 percent crossing the U.S. border unlawfully and unsafely in the hands of human smugglers. We will see similar numbers in April,” McAleenan continued, explaining that he expects current trends to continue in the upcoming months. According to the study carried out by Vanderbilt’s Latin American Public Opinion Project in Guatemala earlier this year, 1 in 4 Guatemalans intend to migrate from Guatemala, with 85 percent of them indicating the U.S. as their preferred destination. “That’s over 4 million Guatemalans who intend to migrate to the United States,” McAleenan said. The DHS head is working with Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, on an immigration bill designed to overhaul the legal immigration system, the Washington Post reported. CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP The proposed legislation will include “an aggressive and holistic strategy” to work together with Central America officials in order to identify “pushes” that drive migrants out of Central America. “We want to work closely with all three countries' customs administrations to help increase the efficiency of cross-border trade by reducing supply chain barriers and support exports and job creation," McAleenan said Tuesday, according to the Washington Examiner. "From an infrastructure, technology, automation, and legal perspective, DHS’s Customs and Border Protection is pursuing broad support for the region’s customs administrations to modernize practices in all of these areas.” Fox News' Victor Garcia contributed to this report.