Harris criticizes Trump for spreading hurricane misinformation; Biden visits Florida

GREENVILLE, North Carolina, USA —

Kamala Harris used her Sunday appearance in front of a majority-Black audience at a North Carolina church to criticize Donald Trump for spreading disinformation about the federal government’s response to recent hurricanes, while President Joe Biden visited Florida for the second time. occasion so far this month in order to evaluate the damage they left.

The Democratic presidential candidate did not mention Trump by name, but he is among the most well-known figures who have promoted false claims about the Biden administration’s response to the devastation caused by Hurricanes Milton and Helene. Florida was affected by both storms, although Helene also left damage in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, while Milton made his way to the Atlantic.

Harris delivered her remarks from the Koinonia Christian Center, where she spoke of “heroes” everywhere who help residents regardless of their political leanings.

“However, (…) there are those who do not act with community spirit, and I am talking about those who literally do not speak the truth, who lie to the population that works hard to help people in need, spreading misinformation when what What is required is the truth and the facts,” he said.

“The problem with all this, beyond the obvious, is that it complicates things in getting vital information to the inhabitants if they are made to believe that they cannot trust anyone,” declared the vice president. “And that is the most painful thing of all, that those who are in need have somehow been convinced that there are forces working against them, so that they do not want to seek help.”

Harris declared that there are those who try to “take some advantage for themselves, take political advantage from people’s adversity, and that is unacceptable,” he stressed. “This is not the time to incite fear. “It’s not okay to make people feel alone.”

“That is not what leaders do, as is well known, during crises,” he added.

Trump made a series of false claims after Helene hit in late September, including saying Washington was intentionally withholding the distribution of aid to needy Republicans in the Southeast. The former president falsely claimed that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had run out of funds to support them because it had invested in aid programs for immigrants who are in the United States illegally.

He promoted those arguments on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” where he said the White House response was “completely terrible” and reiterated his allegations about FEMA dollars. “He got out of there and everyone knew it,” Trump declared in an interview conducted on Thursday and broadcast on Sunday.

Before Harris gave her speech at the church, Biden took a helicopter tour of the affected areas between Tampa and St. Pete Beach on Florida’s west coast. From the air he could see the destroyed dome of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays of the Major Leagues. Once on the ground, the president could see soaked furniture stacked outside flooded residences. Some homes collapsed.

The president expressed his gratitude that Milton’s incident was not as serious as authorities had anticipated, but it was still a “cataclysmic” event for many people, including those who lost irreplaceable personal belongings. He also praised the emergency responders, some of whom traveled from Canada.

“It is in times like these that we come together to take care of each other, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans,” Biden said after receiving a briefing from local, state and federal authorities and meeting with some residents and rescuers. “We are one United States, one United States.”

Harris began her second day of visiting North Carolina with an event at the Greenville Christian Center, part of her campaign team’s efforts to appeal to the black religious community ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

The vice president later appeared before nearly 7,000 supporters at an event at the East Carolina University arena, where she suggested that Trump’s campaign team has prevented the former president from releasing his medical records or appearing in a new election. debate against her because they might be “afraid that the people will realize that he is too weak and unstable.”

His appearances in North Carolina mark the beginning of a week in which he will work to shore up his support among black voters, a key group for the Democratic Party. The vice president is counting on the participation of the black community in highly competitive states like North Carolina to help her defeat Trump, who has focused on the male electorate of various races and, in particular, has tried to make progress among black men. .

Harris will appear Tuesday in Detroit for a live event with Charlamagne tha God, a prominent media figure in the black community.

Black voters have an overwhelmingly favorable view of Harris and negative views of Trump, despite the former president’s attempts to appeal to nonwhite voters, according to a recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. But the poll also shows that many Black voters are unsure whether Harris will improve the country as a whole or their lives.

In Florida, where Biden visited the Big Bend region on October 3 after Helene, the president announced an injection of $612 million for six Department of Energy projects in areas affected by the hurricane, in order to reinforce the state’s electrical grid.

The funds include $47 million for Gainesville Regional Utilities and another $47 million for Switched Source, in a partnership with Florida Power and Light.

Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channels YouTube, WhatsApp and to newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, x and instagram.