US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the major, devastating hurricanes hitting the US are improving the Coast Guard's brand and Twitter is furiously slamming him for it. Hurricane Irma ripped through the Caribbean Islands before barreling up the west coast of Florida to pummel the state with punishing winds and torrential rains that left millions without power.

Irma is the second massive hurricane to hit the US after Hurricane Harvey struck Texas in late August.

Trump has continued to praise the federal government's response to the natural disasters and told a reporter that the US has "great people" dealing with the storms. He also noted that "a group that really deserves tremendous credit is the United States Coast Guard".

"What they've done — I mean, they've gone right into that, and you never know," Trump said, the Hill reports. "When you go in there, you don't know if you're going to come out. They are really — if you talk about branding, no brand has improved more than the United States Coast Guard."

Twitter swiftly criticised the president for his "tone-deaf" remarks saying the Coast Guard isn't a brand and "never needed a PR boost".

"Was something wrong with the Coast Guard brand before?" New York Times' White House correspondent Maggie Haberman tweeted.

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"Heroes don't need branding," one person tweeted. "Heroes don't do it for the recognition. 36K service members. 227 yrs of service."

"The United States Coast Guard isn't a 'brand'," another tweeted. "It's corp of fearless, highly trained and dedicated individuals risking their lives every day."

One Twitter user wrote: "In Trump world, it's ALWAYS about the marketing. It's all just a show. This man is no 'president.'"

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Trump talks to the media about Hurricane Irma next to first lady Melania Trump. Reuters/Yuri Gripas
Donald Trump Twitter Hurricane Irma Twitter Reacts