President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris pushed back on misinformation put forth by former President Donald Trump about Hurricane Milton, which is expected to make landfall on the Western part of Florida Wednesday night.
Both the president and vice president took part in a briefing with Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Deanne Criswell Wednesday afternoon at the White House. Biden claimed Trump was leading “the onslaught of lies” about the response to Hurricane Helene and incoming Hurricane Milton.
“For the last few weeks, there has been a reckless, irresponsible, and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies that are disturbing people,” Biden said. “It’s undermining confidence in the incredible rescue and recovery work that has already been taken and will continue to be taken. It’s harmful to those who need help the most. There’s simply no place for this to happen.
“Assertions have been made that property is being confiscated. That’s simply not true. They’re saying people impacted by these storms will receive $750 in cash and no more,” the president continued. “That’s simply not true. They’re saying the money that’s needed for this crisis is being diverted to migrants. What a ridiculous thing to say. It’s not true.”
Biden also singled out Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) over her repeated claim that “the federal government is literally controlling the weather.”
“It’s beyond ridiculous. It’s got to stop. In moments like this, there are no red or blue states,” he declared. “No one should make the American people question whether their governments will be making sure that when this disaster strikes, they’ll be there. We will. All of us.”
Trump has accused the Biden administration of failing to adequately prepare for Helene and that FEMA is squandering its storm response resources by housing illegal migrants. He and running Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) have campaigned on the disaster response in the final stretch of the campaign, with voters in swing states North Carolina and Georgia hard hit by Helene’s devastation. Helene has killed at least 230 people.
Trump traveled to Valdosta, Georgia, the Monday after Helene made landfall to survey storm damage and partnered with a charity to distribute aid to victims with Gov. Brian Kemp. He’s claimed that FEMA does not have the funding or personnel to adequately help Floridians ahead of Milton’s landfall.
Vance wrote in a Tuesday op-ed for the Wall Street Journal that “the Biden-Harris response to Hurricane Helene, the deadliest storm since Katrina, has the people of the Southeast and especially Appalachia paying an extraordinary price for the administration’s incompetence.”
Biden pushed back the criticism Tuesday, saying, “My team has done everything possible to prepare for this storm. I immediately approved emergency declarations in Florida and the Seminole Tribe in Florida” for preparations for Milton.
The president said he’d been in “constant contact” with governors and local leaders in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia throughout the cleanup process following Hurricane Helene earlier this month and ahead of Milton’s landfall Wednesday.
Harris spoke after the president and sent a warning to companies and individuals “that might use this crisis to exploit people who are desperate for help through illegal fraud or price gouging, whether it be at the gas pump, the airport, or the hotel counter.”
“Know that we are monitoring these behaviors and the situation on the ground very closely, and anyone taking advantage of consumers will be held accountable,” Harris said.
Later, during a phone interview with CNN, Harris echoed Biden’s concerns about misinformation.
“It is dangerous. It is unconscionable, frankly, that anyone who would consider themselves a leader would mislead desperate people,” Harris said.
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“The gamesmanship has to stop at some point.”
You can watch Wednesday’s briefing in full below.