Donald Trump plans to visit Georgia devastated by Hurricane Helene; pressure mounts on Kamala Harris to visit
As former President Donald Trump’s campaign has announced that he intends to visit storm-ravaged Georgia on Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris is coming under pressure to visit states that were devastated by Hurricane Helene.
Late on Thursday, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida before moving on to Georgia, where it also caused damage in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee.
The hurricane flooded several areas of the U.S. Southeast, resulting in approximately 100 fatalities and extensive property and housing losses.
With little delay, Trump revealed his intention to go to Georgia’s storm-ravaged Virginia. He also attacked the Biden administration’s handling of the catastrophe, accusing the president of “sleeping” at his beach home.
Additionally, Harris has come under fire from the Republican frontrunner for holding her weekend fundraising events in California when “big parts of our country have been devastated by that massive hurricane.”
While Harris is now running for office in Las Vegas, he intends to shorten his trip in order to travel to Washington, D.C., to attend briefings about disaster response at the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) headquarters.
Harris has spoken with Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, according to a source who spoke with Reuters but asked not to be named.
While flying on Air Force Two this weekend, she was also briefed on the government storm response.
“As soon as it is possible without disrupting emergency response operations,” the unidentified official said that Harris intends to go to the impacted area, according to Reuters.
Additionally, as long as Hurricane Helene does not interfere with rescue and recovery efforts, President Joe Biden plans to visit the regions affected by the storm this week.
Although Harris will undoubtedly go to the impacted regions in the next few days, Trump has been able to capitalize on his status as the first presidential contender to confirm a trip to the area and project a more involved image.
Trump will “facilitate the distribution of relief supplies,” according to his campaign, speak outside the demolished Chez What Furniture Store, and get a briefing on the hurricane’s effects on Georgia.
During election campaigns, the way politicians react to natural catastrophes may have an impact on public opinion.
Within 48 hours after Hurricane Sandy’s impact, former President Barack Obama visited the afflicted communities, just before the 2012 election.
Several of the states that Helene hit are anticipated to be key battlegrounds in the next election.
