New DNC billboards in NC denounce Trump for spreading Helene misinformation

Gov. Roy Cooper and DHHS Sec. Kody Kinsley receive an update on Mission Hospital's recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene. Getting the region's water systems fully functioning is a chief concern even as a surge of resources arrive in Western NC (Pool photo/Paul Barker-Governor's Office)

The Democratic National Committee is rebuking former President Donald Trump for spreading misinformation about the Hurricane Helene recovery.

Seventeen billboards on roads from Charlotte to Wilmington feature a photo of Trump and a  headline from a Charlotte Observer editorial : “Shame on Trump for worsening NC’s Helene tragedy with political lies.”

Relief organizations say the misinformation flooding social media platforms has made their work harder.

The Charlotte Observer chided Trump for his contributions to the misinformation trough, particularly for his social media post saying the federal government and Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper were going out of their way not to help Republican areas of the state.

DNC spokesperson Maddy Mundy said in a statement that Trump was trying to score political points at the expense of people who need help.

“In the wake of Hurricane Helene, Donald Trump wasted no time politicizing a tragedy to score political points, while spreading dangerous disinformation that risks discouraging those who need support from seeking it. Showing up for families in need is a nonpartisan issue,” Mundy’s statement said.

Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign is l aunching digital ads this week that criticize Trump for his handling of natural disasters, CNN reported.