Trump Accuses Biden of Withholding Relief to Hurricane Helene Victims When it Was He Who Had Done So

After the Haitian pet-eating immigrants fiasco, Donald Trump recently slammed President Joe Biden with more false claims. He declared that Biden isn't helping Hurricane Helene victims in Republican areas. Ironically, Trump himself has a history of doing what he accuses his Democratic rival of. The storm hit hard and flooded parts of western North Carolina and Georgia. While visiting the latter, Trump asserted, "He's been calling the president, he hasn't been able to get him," alluding to Georgia's governor, Brian Kemp. But Kemp told a different story. "The president just called me yesterday afternoon. I missed him and I called him right back. And he just said, 'Hey, what do you need?'" 

With that, Trump was caught in yet another lie. However, undeterred, he posted on social media, "I'll be there [North Carolina] shortly, but don't like the reports that I'm getting about the federal government, and the Democrat governor of the state, going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas. MAGA!" He further stated, "They have left Americans to drown in North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and elsewhere in the South." Trump provided no evidence to back his accusations.

When asked if he had reached out to Biden, Trump said, "No, I haven't reached out to him. I think he's sleeping right now, actually." Biden was talking to reporters about his administration's actions to help storm victims at that very moment. He explained that he wasn't visiting the worst-hit areas right away as that could prove 'disruptive,' in light of the large team that travels with him. He wanted to avoid getting in the way of ongoing rescue efforts.

Additionally, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Hurricane Center had warned about the dangers of flooding well before the storm hit. FEMA Administrator, Deanne Criswell, said on Thursday, "Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and those Appalachians, they're going to have up to 20 inches of rain in an area that can have significant flash flooding. And that is really life-threatening." As such, FEMA had already sent teams to Georgia, Alabama, and North Carolina before the storm hit. Biden had approved emergency declarations for Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina to help get funding started quickly. Trump's accusations hence couldn't be more far from the truth and another campaign tactic. 

His accusations interestingly reflect his own actions as president as he infamously withheld $20 billion in aid to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria hit in 2017. He also threatened to withhold help for California's wildfires, as per HuffPost. Trump's supporters have called for cuts to agencies that warn about weather disasters and help victims. The Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, which Trump initially praised, proposes getting rid of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and changing how weather forecasting is done.

White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, also defended the administration's response. "It doesn't matter which state it is. It doesn't matter if it's a red state or blue state. This is their job — to get food there, to get generators there, to save some lives, to rescue people," she stated. Vice President Kamala Harris visited FEMA headquarters. She said, "The true character of the nation is revealed in moments of hardship," as per AP News.