Former President Donald Trump will visit Georgia after the southeast was battered by Hurricane Helene, while President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris stay in Washington, D.C. — for now.
Biden will deliver remarks providing an update on relief efforts from the White House on Monday, while Harris has canceled campaign events and is returning to Washington to receive a briefing from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Trump announced his plans to visit Valdosta, Georgia, on Monday in the southern part of the state following a rally in Pennsylvania on Sunday.
The former president, who is running for another four-year term in the White House, is expected to receive a briefing from local officials on relief efforts, help distribute supplies, and speak to the press while in the Peach State.
When Trump visited Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria in 2017, he was criticized for throwing paper towels at residents and withholding funding after the devastation.
Trump opened his Sunday rally in the Keystone State by sending his “love and prayers” to victims of the storm and then accused Biden of “sleeping” and Harris of holding fundraising while several parts of the country are battered from the hurricane.
Biden and Harris spoke with officials from the affected states over the weekend, and the president told FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell that he intends to visit affected areas this week “as soon as it will not disrupt emergency response operations,” according to the White House pool report.
Biden and Harris released statements over the weekend expressing their condolences over the loss of life and devastation from the hurricane.
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“The road to recovery will be long, but know that my Administration will be with you every step of the way. We’re not going to walk away. We’re not going to give up. As we turn toward recovery efforts, we will make certain that no resource is spared to ensure that families, businesses, schools, hospitals, and entire communities can quickly begin their road to rebuilding,” Biden said in a statement on Sunday.
The storm, which made landfall on the shores of Florida’s Big Bend last week, brought catastrophic damage, which has left dozens dead and millions without power. Northwestern parts of North Carolina were especially devastated by flooding caused by the storm. Biden approved disaster declarations for various states in Helene’s path, including Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina.