Biden Explains His Response To Hurricane After Reporters Question
President Joe Biden faced criticism on Monday for his absence from Washington, D.C., over the weekend as Hurricane Helene ravaged the southeastern United States, leaving behind widespread devastation.
Biden, who spent the weekend at his beach house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, was pressed by reporters about why he and Vice President Kamala Harris weren’t in the capital “commanding” the federal response to the storm. Biden’s reply? “I was commanding. I was on the phone for at least two hours yesterday and the day before as well. … It’s called a telephone.”
President Biden on federal response to Hurricane Helene: “We are not leaving until the job is done.” pic.twitter.com/HdODPFtH8y
— CSPAN (@cspan) September 30, 2024
Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm when it made landfall on Thursday, has left a grim toll in its wake. By midday Monday, the Associated Press reported at least 107 deaths across multiple states, with North Carolina being hit particularly hard. Asheville’s surrounding county alone saw 30 fatalities, and flood relief efforts continue as officials struggle to reach impacted areas.
While Biden approved disaster relief for North Carolina and other states, granting access to federal resources for recovery, his physical absence and Vice President Harris’s decision to attend high-profile fundraisers in California over the weekend have drawn significant backlash.
Harris posted a photo on social media, claiming she was working and had spoken with leaders about the storm, but critics were quick to pounce. Former President Donald Trump, now engaged in his own 2024 campaign, took to his Truth Social platform to deride Harris’s post, calling it a “FAKE and STAGED photo” and accusing both Biden and Harris of abandoning Americans in the storm’s path.
Another FAKE and STAGED photo from someone who has no clue what she is doing. You have to plug the cord into the phone for it to work! Biden and Harris abandoned Americans in Afghanistan. They sacrificed Americans to an Open Border, and now, they have left Americans to drown in… pic.twitter.com/GsVBxxINF2
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) September 30, 2024
Trump, who has consistently used his campaign to highlight what he sees as the administration’s failures, pointed to the devastation in North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and other states, accusing Biden and Harris of “leaving Americans to drown.”
Trump plans to visit Georgia on Monday to assist in relief efforts and connect with victims of the storm, contrasting his actions with those of Biden and Harris, who are not expected to visit the disaster-stricken region until later in the week, citing concerns that an earlier trip could disrupt ongoing emergency response efforts.