Helene sparks political battle as Trump, Harris spar over aid

( NewsNation ) — A political battle over Hurricane Helene is ramping up as the November election approaches and Florida prepares for another serious storm .

Former President Donald Trump blamed Vice President Kamala Harris and the Joe Biden administration for what the GOP nominee called a lackluster response to the Category 5 hurricane that devastated western North Carolina.

Meanwhile, Harris’ team accused Trump of spreading misinformation about aid and recovery efforts. The White House went so far as to launch a Reddit account to dispel the inaccuracies.

What are Harris, Trump saying about each other’s hurricane responses?

Trump took to Truth Social Wednesday morning to criticize the Biden administration’s hurricane response.

“The whole state, for that matter, has been totally and incompetently mismanaged by Harris/Biden,” Trump wrote. “They can’t get anything done properly, but I will make up for lost time, and do it right, when I get there.”

Harris, however, said she was upset to see politicians playing “games” with the people most affected by the hurricane.

“What just upsets me so is the idea that any politician would play political games with these folks,” Harris said during an appearance on “Late Night with Stephen Colbert.” “And then for the sake of political gain, tell these lies in a way that is meant to make people distrust the help that is there for them to receive. “

U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., posted a link to his X account debunking Hurricane Helene response myths and challenging some of the claims Trump and other Republicans have made.

“While it is true, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to Hurricane Helene has had its shortfalls, I’m here to dispel the outrageous rumors that have been circulated online,” Edwards wrote.

What has their communication about Hurricane Milton looked like?

It’s unclear whether Harris has spoken directly with GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as the state braces for Hurricane Milton’s landfall . The governor had a conversation Tuesday with Biden, who told DeSantis to contact him directly as needs arise.

Trump, who has a hot-and-cold history with the Florida governor, praised DeSantis’ hurricane response and used the moment to take another dig at Harris.

“I think Ron is doing a good job,” Trump said. “I see him all over television. He’s all over the place. I left Florida last night, and it was starting to get nasty already. This is going to be a big one. And you know, they’re in trouble with Helene in North Carolina, Georgia, a lot of other places. And now you look at this one coming in, and the woman doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

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