Washington CNN –
Former President Donald Trump, seeking to profit politically from Hurricane Helen’s devastation, falsely claimed in a social media post Thursday that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are “universally given bad marks for the way they handled Hurricane.” Especially in North Carolina.”
Facts first: Trump is wrong. The Biden administration’s response to the hurricane received bipartisan praise from political leaders in the affected states.
This praise was not universal; There has also been some criticism and some contradiction. But Trump’s assertion that the reviews related to the Biden administration’s handling of the crisis were completely negative is not true.
This is just the latest false claim by Trump on the subject of the administration’s hurricane response.
On Monday, Trump incorrectly said that Georgia Governor Brian Kemp was unable to reach Biden by phone, although Kemp said the same day that he had indeed spoken with Biden. Trump baselessly claimed on Monday that the federal government and North Carolina’s Democratic Governor, Roy Cooper, were not intentionally helping residents of Republican communities in the state; Trump provided no evidence for this claim when pressed by a reporter about it.
Several Republican governors in Southeastern states hit by Hurricane Helen praised the Biden administration’s response, mentioning Biden in particular at times.
Republican South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said in a press conference on Tuesday that the federal assistance “has been wonderful,” noting that Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called him and asked him to tell them everything the state needed. McMaster added that Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Diane Criswell also called. “So we are getting help, and we are asking for whatever we need,” he said.
“I am incredibly appreciative of the quick response and cooperation from the federal team at FEMA,” Republican Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said in a news conference on Monday. He specifically thanked Biden, among others, in a press release the day before.
Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said in a news conference on Wednesday that the response to his emergency declaration “was quick from the federal government,” adding that there had been a “quick turnaround, frankly,” in making the state eligible for some federal compensation.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Li spoke of officials “from the federal government to the states to local agencies, local emergency management agencies, and local county sheriffs rushing in with tears in their eyes to serve their people.” There is a great deal of hope when you see what is behind this effort, a coordinated effort, in this community to start rebuilding.
Cooper, the governor of North Carolina, has repeatedly praised the federal response. “We are grateful for the quick actions and close communications we had with the president and with the FEMA team,” said Cooper, who was sitting next to Biden during the president’s visit to North Carolina on Wednesday, adding moments later: “And Mr. Trump will.” Mr. President, we know that we have made many requests of you, and we are grateful for your ear and your actions.
“I have briefed President Biden and Vice President Harris on two occasions, and they have committed every resource available to this recovery,” Cooper said at a press conference on Tuesday. I appreciate the President’s quick approval of this weekend’s major disaster declaration and his direction that FEMA Administrator Dean Criswell continue to be here on the ground, saying residents have already begun receiving aid money.
“We are seeing incredible help, from the federal government to the state to the private sector to the nonprofit sector and faith-based organizations,” Esther Manheimer, mayor of the hard-hit city of Asheville, North Carolina, said on MSNBC on Tuesday. Everyone flocks here with their help. She stressed that rebuilding from the “catastrophic” situation would take a long time regardless.
