Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday referred to as former President Donald Trump “incredibly irresponsible” for spreading falsehoods in regards to the federal response to Hurricane Helene ‘s destruction, providing particularly sharp phrases as a brand new storm bears down on Florida with simply weeks till Election Day.
“There’s lots of mis- and disinformation being pushed on the market by the previous president about what is offered, notably to the survivors of Helene,” Harris advised reporters earlier than boarding Air Drive Two to fly to New York. “It’s extraordinarily irresponsible. It’s about him. It’s not about you.”
Helene has killed greater than 220 individuals in six states, and Class 5 Hurricane Milton is on a path towards Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Trump has made a sequence of false claims within the wake of Helene, together with saying incorrectly that the federal authorities is deliberately withholding help to Republican catastrophe victims. He additionally falsely claimed the Federal Emergency Administration Company had run out of cash as a result of all of it had gone to applications for immigrants within the nation illegally.
Harris mentioned “the reality is that FEMA has so many resources that are available to folks who desperately need them now, and resources that are about helping people get back on their feet and rebuild and have places to go.”
“People are entitled to these resources, and it is critically important that people apply for the help that is there to support,” the vp added. “All those resources were created for just these types of moments, in an emergency situation, knowing that folks are entitled to have the relief that they so rightly need.”
Trump additionally mentioned throughout a go to Valdosta, Georgia, final week that President Joe Biden was “sleeping” and never responding to calls from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Biden had, in reality, spoken with Kemp and mentioned of Trump, “He’s lying, and the governor told him he was lying.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
Harris additionally criticized one other high-profile Republican, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, suggesting he is “playing political games” and interesting in “political gamesmanship” in Helene’s aftermath.
Harris’ workplace says the vp reached out to DeSantis after the storm. DeSantis mentioned Monday afternoon that he “didn’t know that she had called” and “they didn’t call me.”keep
“It wasn’t anything anybody in my office did in saying that it was political,” DeSantis mentioned.
However Harris, requested about DeSantis, mentioned “people are in desperate need of support right now and playing political games at this moment in these crisis situations … is utterly irresponsible.”
“It is selfish and it is about political gamesmanship instead of doing the job that you took an oath to do, which is to put the people first,” Harris mentioned with out naming DeSantis.
DeSantis later spoke with Biden to debate preparations for Milton. The president, in accordance with the White Home, requested DeSantis “to call him directly if there is anything that can be done to further support the response and recovery efforts.”
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