President Donald Trump visited North and South Carolina on Wednesday to meet with families displaced by Hurricane Florence, which killed at least 37 people, some of them children.

While handing out food to families in need, a young boy named Tucker approached him for a hug.

President Trump stretched out his arms and gave Tucker a hug — to the applause and delight of the volunteer workers, reported Breitbart.

This simple gesture sparked a torrent of outrage from detractors, however.

They couldn’t resist turning a mere hug from the president of the United States into something ominous and even loathsome.

“Among the many critics, one asked whether the boy ‘got a check’ from the Trump Organization, or why Trump would hug a child when “he doesn’t even hug his own kids,” reported Fox News Insider.

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“He doesn’t care about children or he wouldn’t have them locked up in cages. Paid actor, all planned!” exclaimed another on social media.

Shocked by the outrage, Fox News hosts Jesse Watters and Martha MacCallum reacted to the backlash during MacCallum’s weeknight program, “The Story with Martha MacCallum.”

“[It] sent Twitter right over the edge,” she said.

“Hugging a kid is not bad,” exclaimed Watters.

MacCallum also took to Twitter to express her disappointment: “The responses to this are so depressing. Even hugging a kid is something to criticize.”

Fortunately, some had the presence of mind to perceive the hug as a kind gesture of support.

“I think I’m gonna cry,” said an elderly worker standing behind them, after watching the president embrace Tucker and then pat him on the back, according to reporting from The Daily Caller.

During the trip, the president pledged the government would “do whatever we have to do to make this perfect.”

The president took part in a joint briefing with Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, who thanked him for the visit.

“Thank you, Mr. President, for coming to North Carolina as our rescue and recovery continues,” the governor said. “Our state took a gut punch, and our people are still reeling,” reported ABC News.

Afterward, the president visited a local church — and helped hand out meals to local residents affected by the storm’s wrath.

Related: Hurricane Florence Heroes Saved These Animals and More

Trump then went to New Bern, North Carolina, which was devastated by the storm, and he spent some time talking with local residents.

“We’ll be here,” the president said as he shook hands with men and women, as ABC news reported.

Trump called the storm “one of the most powerful and devastating storms ever to hit our country.”

He also said, “To those who lost loved ones, America grieves with you and our hearts break for you. God bless you. We will never forget your loss. We will never leave your side.”

See the president survey storm-battered areas in the video below.