US President Donald Trump has told officials he doesn't think he has ever heard of a Category 5 hurricane despite four threatening the country during his presidency.
"I'm not sure that I've ever even heard of a Category 5, I knew it existed," he said, speaking to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
"A Category 5 is something, that I'm not even sure I've heard the term, other than I know it, it's there. That’s the ultimate, and that’s what we have, unfortunately"
Four Category 5 storms - Irma, Maria, Michael and now Dorian - have hit or come close to the US since November 2016, when Mr Trump took over the White House.
A video posted on social media showed a number of instances where Mr Trump had mentioned Category 5 Hurricanes in the past, including an earlier instance where he said he had never heard of one.
The president made the comments as the monster Hurricane Dorian slammed into the Bahamas and inched closer to the US.
The Category 5 storm pummeled the island chain with torrential rain and wind on Monday, causing Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis to break down in tears as he described the day as "the most sad" of his life.
President Donald Trump speaks at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Source: AP
Areas of Florida have begun evacuating ahead of the hurricane, with fears a number of eastern areas will be impacted severely by the storm, which is one of the most powerful ever recorded in the Atlantic.
“I ask everyone in Hurricane Dorian’s path to heed all warnings and evacuation orders from local authorities," Mr Trump said.
"It's just been building up and moving very slowly ... the slower it moves the bigger it is and the bigger it gets."
The president was scheduled to visit Warsaw this week but announced he would be remaining in the US to focus on the Hurricane, sending Vice-President Mike Pence in his place.
