Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris visited North Carolina on Saturday as the state recovers from Hurricane Helene, arriving there one day after a stop in the state by Republican Donald Trump, who is spreading false claims about the federal response to the disaster.
The vice president was greeted at the airport by Gov. Roy Cooper among others, and quickly headed into a briefing with emergency response officials about the recovery effort.
Earlier in the week, Harris was in Georgia, where she helped distribute meals, toured the damage and consoled families hard-hit by the storm. President Joe Biden, too, visited the disaster zone. During stops over two days in the Carolinas, Florida and Georgia, Biden surveyed the damage and met with farmers whose crops have been destroyed.
The two have been vocal and visible about the government's willingness to help, and the administration's efforts so far include covering costs for all of the rescue and recovery efforts across the Southeast for several months as states struggle under the weight of the mass damage.
In a letter late Friday to congressional leaders, Biden wrote that while the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Disaster Relief Fund "has the resources it requires right now to meet immediate needs, the fund does face a shortfall at the end of the year.” He also called on lawmakers to act quickly to restore funding to the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program.
More than 200 people have died. It's the worst storm to hit the U.S. mainland since Katrina in 2005, and scientists have warned such storms will only worsen in the face of climate change.
But in this overheated election year, even natural disasters have become deeply politicized as the candidates crisscross the disaster area and in some cases visit the same venues to win over voters in battleground states.
Trump has falsely claimed the Biden administration isn't doing enough to help impacted people in Republican areas and has harshly criticized the response. He has, in Helene's aftermath, espoused falsehoods about climate change, calling it “one of the great scams of all time."
During a stop in Fayetteville, North Carolina on Thursday, Trump renewed his complaints about the federal response and cited “lousy treatment to North Carolina in particular." In fact, Cooper said this week that more than 50,000 people have registered for FEMA assistance and about $6 million has been paid out.
Biden has suggested that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is withholding money for disaster relief needs.
Harris’ visits present an additional political test in the midst of a humanitarian crisis. She’s trying to step into a role for which Biden is well known — showing the empathy that Americans expect in times of tragedy — in the closing stretch of her White House campaign.
Until this week, she had not visited the scene of a humanitarian crisis as vice president. That duty was reserved for Biden, who has frequently been called on to survey damage and console victims after tornadoes, wildfires, tropical storms and more.
Harris said this week that she wanted to “personally take a look at the devastation, which is extraordinary.” She expressed admiration for how “people are coming together. People are helping perfect strangers.”
She said that shows ”the vast majority of us have so much more in common than what separates us,” an echo of a line she frequently uses on the campaign trail.
“We are here for the long haul,” she said.
© Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
16 Comments
dagon
Funny how the people on the ground, the people who have researched, coordinated and have data on the subject always contradict the Trump rhetoric.
bass4funk
The WH can say whatever it wants, that is not what is happening on the ground. Their damage control is just way too late and blaming Trump makes it worse for the left. If I were the WH I would ignore Trump and just try and do whatever it is I could because every attack now makes Trump look stronger at this moment and time.
https://americanmind.org/salvo/forgotten-america-in-crisis/
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/oct/3/joe-biden-defends-hurricane-response-amid-criticis/
John
The facts, the people on the ground and the GOO governor says you’re wrong.
And neither of those links are anything like credible, lol.
John
How nice it is to have an administration that takes action based on need and not based on spite or political advantage as Trump did.
bass4funk
He can say that all day long from his safe spot, I listen to the people in real-time who are suffering.
They are and if you don't like them, it's ok, no worries, not about you. Lol
bass4funk
A bit too late, but better than ever. This is going to hurt Kamala, the people will never forget.
ulysses
Sir, the ground beneath your feet is slipping away, believing in Donald’s lies does that to people!!!
Some dude
arriving there one day after a stop in the state by Republican Donald Trump, ****who is spreading false claims about the federal response to the disaster.
I suppose our resident MAGA people will claim that this is untrue and that Donald Trump has never told a lie in his life.
ok1517
bass,
no, it's not only the President Biden administration / WH!
FEMA, people on the ground, the governor, former governors, just everyone who knows what's happening.
The ones who try to sabotage those efforts are once again MAGA and associates, voting against the FEMA disaster relief fund. Let me just show you a shortened list of those who once again didn't do their job, supporting those in need (and guess what, all of 'em are Republicans!!):
Representative Russ Fulcher of Idaho
Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida
Representative Tony Gonzales of Texas
Representative Bob Good of Virginia
Representative Lance Gooden of Texas
Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia
Representative Morgan Griffith of Virginia
..... and so on!
ulysses
Sir, there is a contradiction in that sentence!!!
Yes sir, people will never forget Donald’s lies!!!!
Some dude
Bass4, where are the Black voters for Trump gonna materialize
They'll appear with his healthcare plan.
Yrral
JT do not have about 100 people per day
bass4funk
You just summed up the MSM and it is that why most of the lib media is going downhill and let's not talk about their dwindling credibility.
They think the same thing about the leftist media, that's on them
John
And sourced and fact checked by actual journalists, not gullible cultists.
Bob Fosse
I admire your willingness to give credit when it is due. Truly bipartisan, well done!
plasticmonkey
I've seen a couple of images of Trump wading through flood waters. In one, he's wearing a suit, water up to his knees, and handing paper towels to sad-eyed kids. In another, he's wearing jeans and an orange life vest and working his way through the waters with a fellow aid worker.
I'll trust these images over the government any day!