Endless suffering follows one of the worst hurricane disasters in U.S. history—and now “Helene” is crashing into the election campaign!
The hurricane left a thousand-kilometer trail of devastation, with a biblical deluge of up to 760 millimeters of rainfall hitting North Carolina’s mountains particularly hard. Of the 121 dead recovered so far (as of Monday), two-thirds were around the town of Asheville, while hundreds remain missing. Mudslides wiped out entire villages, and survivors are left without necessities: water, food, electricity, and gasoline. Radio networks are down.
The slow response to rescue and relief efforts has now turned into a political issue, sparking criticism of U.S. President Joe Biden (81) and his running mate, Kamala Harris (59).
- Biden spent the weekend at his beach house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware—something not unusual for him. It wasn’t until Monday that he stepped into his role as commander-in-chief, promising rapid assistance from the Oval Office to North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (67). When asked why he didn’t remain at the White House to lead the efforts, Biden responded irritably, “I was in charge—by phone!”
- Democratic candidate Kamala Harris was also initially absent from the disaster zones, instead attending a star-studded gala in Los Angeles that raised $29 million for campaign funds. Only on Monday did her schedule shift to include a visit to FEMA’s headquarters, where she promised “help for communities in need.” Her appearance seemed polished but lacked a genuine connection. A photo distributed by her team of her supposedly coordinating on the plane sparked controversy when it was noticed that the headphone cable wasn’t even plugged into her iPhone.
Trump labeled Harris as ‘fake’
Republican rival Donald Trump (78) seized the opportunity: “You have to plug in the headphones!” he mocked, labeling Harris as “fake.”
Trump had also continued campaigning over the weekend, but on Monday he made his way to the disaster area. Speaking in the affected town of Valdosta, Georgia, he claimed to be bringing “lots of supplies, including fuel, equipment, water, and other needed items.” He criticized Biden for a delayed response, accusing him of “sleeping” instead of addressing the storm damage. Trump also slammed Harris for “being off somewhere campaigning and looking for money.”
Biden appeared defensive, insisting that he had spent several hours over the weekend managing the crisis by phone. The president plans to visit the disaster zones on Wednesday.
