It’s a monster says Trump

US President Donald Trump called Hurricane Irma “some big monster” as it battered the Florida coast, saying he wanted to go to the state very soon and praising emergency officials for their efforts to protect people.

“The bad news is that this is some big monster,” Trump told reporters, saying damage from the storm would be very costly.

“Right now, we are worried about lives, not cost,” Trump said after returning from Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland where he monitored the storm and met with his Cabinet.

The path of the storm, tracking the west coast of Florida, meant it might be less destructive than it would otherwise have been, Trump said, noting the next five or six hours would be critical.

“I hope there aren’t too many people in the path,” he said. “You don’t want to be on that path.”