Harris, Trump shift plans after Hurricane Helene’s destruction

AP:

Hurricane Helene is shifting the presidential candidates’ plans this week.

Democratic nominee Kamala Harris is cutting short a campaign visit to Las Vegas to return to Washington for briefings. Republican candidate Donald Trump is heading to Georgia to see the storm’s impact.

Hurricane Helene’s death toll is more than 100 people and rising, with some of the worst damage caused by inland flooding in North Carolina.

In addition to being humanitarian crises, natural disasters can create political tests for elected officials, particularly in the closing weeks of a presidential campaign.

Presidents typically avoid racing toward disaster zones so they don’t interfere with recovery efforts. The White House said Harris would visit impacted areas “as soon as it is possible without disrupting emergency response operations.”

The White House on Monday pushed back against an assertion by Donald Trump that President Joe Biden has been unresponsive to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Trump earlier on Monday praised Kemp for doing a “very good job” but said he was “having a hard time getting the president on the phone.” Trump added both Biden and the federal government are “not being responsive”.

White House Karine Jean-Pierre during her daily press briefing noted that Kemp himself told reporters that he spoke to Biden on Sunday and that the president asked him what Georgia needed.

The president’s homeland security adviser, Liz Sherwood-Randall, said that Biden made clear that he offered Kemp “anything” Georgia needed for its response to the storm and remains available to the governor.

“So, if the governor would like to speak to the president again, of course, the president will take his call,” Sherwood-Randall said.

Trump makes false claims about federal response while campaigning in area ravaged by Hurricane Helene

He repeatedly spread falsehoods Monday about the federal response to Hurricane Helene despite claiming not to be politicising the disaster as he toured hard-hit areas in south Georgia.

Trump criticised Vice President Kamala Harris for “campaigning and looking for money”. He also levied attacks against the federal government for being “non-responsive” to the disaster, claiming Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has been struggling to get President Joe Biden on the phone. This is despite the White House announcing that Biden spoke by phone on Sunday night with Kemp. And North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. Kemp, meanwhile, expressed appreciation on Monday for federal response to the storm.