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We really didn't want to write about this, at least not right now. People are suffering, and some of them are dying, due to Hurricane Helene. It feels vulgar to us to begin talking about the political implications of that. Unfortunately for us, vulgar is Donald Trump's stock in trade.
Trump might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he knows enough to know two things: (1) He really needs to win North Carolina and Georgia in November, and (2) Helene is battering both states. So, he is working overtime to try to capitalize on this "opportunity," as he sees it.
To start, Trump announced yesterday morning that he was heading to Valdosta, GA, with a bunch of supplies for the people there. This is a little ham-fisted, in terms of trying to cash in on people's hardships. And, for just about everyone who heard the news, it brought to mind the tone-deaf visit to Puerto Rico, where he was "jump shotting" rolls of paper towels to people who had lost everything. That said, you can't fault him TOO much for bringing supplies to Georgians who need them.
Unfortunately, the supply delivery is also when Trump began going off the rails. It was not enough for him to simply engage in an act of charity and let that stand on its own. Nope, he had to go on the attack, explaining that the reason that he was also going to have to visit North Carolina, because of "reports that I'm getting about the Federal Government, and the Democrat Governor of the State, going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas." Later, the former president followed up on that by claiming that Georgia governor Brian Kemp could not get Joe Biden on the phone, because Biden was too busy sleeping.
Needless to say, this is nonsense. Kemp has already confirmed that he's been in touch with the White House, and has praised the Biden administration for its response. Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC) has said the same. It's yet another example of Trump projecting, as refusing to help Democrats during a tragedy is exactly what HE would do. That's not speculation, it's based on his actual record, such as his refusal to declare California a disaster area (thus unlocking extra federal funding for cleanup) after the 2018 wildfires.
Later in the day yesterday, Trump changed tacks, and began attacking Biden and Kamala Harris for not visiting the states affected by the Hurricane. The obvious message (which he also used in East Palestine, OH, after hustling to the site of the train wreck there) is "I care, Biden and Harris don't." This is also nonsense. First, we would bet every dollar that we have that Trump does not care one damn bit, beyond what's in it for him (also see the next item). Beyond that, when high-profile people visit disaster sites, with their security details and entourage in tow, it's a huge disruption. So, the proper thing to do is to wait for the immediate crisis to subside. Biden will be visiting on Wednesday, and Harris has suspended her campaigning, is being briefed regularly by FEMA, and will be visiting later this week.
Finally, once Harris had taken to eX-Twitter to note that she is monitoring the situation, Trump tripled down with some conspiratorial thinking:
All together now: This is nonsense.
Looking at all of this, we see how every bit of it is the characteristic response of Trump, going by his gut. We also think it's near-impossible that it will work to his benefit, politically. First, people who are actually on the scene are not going to buy into his lies about what is really going on. Second, surely they are going to resent being used as political props, and in such a crude and boorish manner.
We really, really didn't want to have to write all of that. It used to be that politics were left at the door in times of crisis, but not anymore, at least not by Donald Trump and his ilk (compare that to the response of Kemp, to take one example). In any case, we sincerely hope that any readers who are in the affected areas are safe and are doing as well as possible, under the circumstances. (Z)