Scranton, Pa. — Former President Trump is taking aim again at President Biden and Vice President Harris over the federal government's response to attacks on targets in the Southeast.
“The worst hurricane response since Katrina,” the former president said as he pointed to the initial, highly damaging federal response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which was widely criticized for being slow and ineffective.
Trump, at a campaign event The battleground was in Pennsylvania, just hours from hitting Florida as an extremely powerful and dangerous Hurricane Milton, and nearly two weeks after Hurricane Helen crossed over as the death toll rose and more than 100,000 people were left without power or running water. Southeastern United States.
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Election Day is less than four weeks away In November, Trump and Harris are locked in a bitter showdown over the margin of error in the race to succeed Biden in the White House, and seven key battleground states include the two states hardest hit by Helen – North Carolina and Georgia. What will likely determine your outcome 2024 electionsThe politics of federal disaster aid are once again at the center of the campaign.
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Trump repeatedly attacked Biden and Harris for nearly two weeks, accusing them of being incompetent.
“He led the worst rescue operation in history in North Carolina,” Trump said as he dropped another political bombshell on the vice president. “The worst, they say.”
Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Harris greets those affected by Hurricane Helen in Augusta, Georgia, on October 2, 2024, with Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson looking on, right. (AP Photo/Caroline Custer)
And the former president once again falsely claimed that FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) diverted funds intended for humanitarian aid and spending on undocumented immigrants in the United States, as he turned up the volume on his inflammatory rhetoric on the combustible issue of illegal immigration. .
“You know where they put their money: illegal immigrants are coming,” Trump said as the crowd of MAGA supporters cheered.
Click here for an updated report from Fox News on the storm
Hours earlier, as the president and vice president received the latest briefing from FEMA and other federal agencies on storm preparations in Florida and relief efforts across the Southeast, Biden said that “we have made available an unprecedented number of resources to deal with this crisis, and the work We will continue until the end.”
President Biden speaks with FEMA Administrator Dean Criswell at Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport in Greer, SC, on October 2, 2024, to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Helen. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
And the president left a message for his predecessor in the White House.
“Over the past few weeks, there has been a reckless, irresponsible and relentless campaign of misleading and completely false advertising that is upsetting people. It is undermining confidence in the incredible rescue and recovery work that has already been carried out and will continue to be carried out. , and it is harmful to those who need help most.
Click here for the latest weather updates from Fox News on Hurricane Milton
And pointing to the Republican presidential candidate, he said: “Former President Trump led this onslaught of lies. Allegations that assets are being confiscated. That’s simply not true.”
Former Republican presidential candidate Trump speaks at a campaign rally on October 9, 2024 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Julia DeMarie Nichinson)
Biden said the statements from Trump and other Republicans were “beyond ridiculous” and “it has to stop.”
“At a time like this, there are no red or blue states. There are United States of America where neighbors are helping neighbors. Volunteers and first responders are risking everything, including their own lives, to help their fellow Americans; State, local and federal authorities are on standby,” said the president.
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Harris, who replaced Biden on the Democrats' 2024 ticket in July, delivered a similar message during an interview with the Weather Channel on Wednesday.
“This is not the time for us as Americans to point fingers at each other.” Harris said. “Anyone who considers themselves a leader should really be in business now to give people a sense of confidence that we are all working together and that we have the resources and power to work together on their behalf. The people of our country and that is what I focus on “doing.”
Earlier this week, Harris and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis Florida discussed whether she ignored hurricane-related calls from him.
But when it comes to the federal response, DeSantis, along with other Republican governors in storm-hit regions, have not complained about federal assistance.
The governor reiterated these comments in an interview with “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday morning.
“Every request we made – I contacted the president, I contacted the president FEMA Director. All of our requests were met,” DeSantis said.
Fox News' Matthew Reidy and Matteo Cina contributed to this report.
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