Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump pauses before speaking during a campaign rally at a Mossack Group warehouse on September 25, 2024 in Mint Hill, North Carolina.
Brandon Bell | Getty Images
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is scheduled to speak and help distribute supplies in hurricane-hit Georgia on Monday, a day after using the devastating storm as a political attack on Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. are.
Trump’s campaign announced on Sunday afternoon that before addressing reporters at 2 p.m. ET, he would travel to the southern city of Valdosta to be briefed on the effects of Hurricane Helen and “facilitate the distribution of relief supplies.”
The impromptu visit comes after Vice President Harris canceled her campaign schedule in Las Vegas to return to Washington, D.C., for a meeting with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden said early Monday that he hopes to see Harris next. Travel to hurricane-affected areas Once it is confirmed that their presence will not impede emergency response operations. He then said he planned to travel Wednesday or Thursday.
The death toll from the hurricane has risen to 116 since it made landfall in northern Florida as a Category 4 storm Thursday night, according to an NBC News tally.
At least 25 people have died in Georgia, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp said at a Monday morning briefing. Deaths have also been reported in Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Torrential rain, winds and flooding have left millions without power and left entire cities under several feet of water, including areas hundreds of miles inland, like Asheville, North Carolina.
On Sunday, President Trump attacked Biden and Harris in politically charged language over their response to Helen.
President Trump said during his campaign, “While much of our country was devastated by that huge hurricane, and many people died under water, they are holding events with far-left lunatic donors. “They’re raising a lot of money from bad people.” Meeting in Erie, Pennsylvania.
“She’s supposed to be here. She’s supposed to be where she’s supposed to be. That’s what she’s getting paid to do, right? That’s what she’s getting paid to do.”
The Harris campaign and its allies said at a rally in Michigan on Friday that President Trump told people affected by the hurricane, “We’re with you all the way. If we were there… We will help you and you will be fine.”
Harris campaign social media accounts quickly shared the footage, suggesting President Trump was downplaying the disaster. By Monday morning, the clip had been viewed more than 5 million times on X, according to the site’s tally.
President Trump’s allies say the video was taken out of context. defended his statementHe said he was offering solace to the victims of the storm.
But some of the former president’s opponents pointed to similarities between the quote and Trump’s insensitive responses to past natural disasters, including the toss-up. paper towel roll Among the crowds of hurricane survivors in Puerto Rico in 2017.
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