It’s been about a week-and-a-half since Hurricane Helene hit. At least 231 people have been killed. Homes and communities have been wiped out. More than 300,000 are without power in Georgia and the Carolinas.
Private volunteers and organizations have been doing all they can to help out, and we’ve covered a lot of their efforts. But there have been a lot of questions raised about the government response.
Joe Biden spoke at a White House briefing on Friday in a very unusual move given that they normally keep him under wraps. But what he spoke about was the jobs numbers. He said nothing about the hurricane apart from saying they needed to have money to cover it. He focused on what he thought was helpful to him.
Then, members of his administration had similarly tone-deaf X posts. Both Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Kamala Harris posted about giving $157 million to Lebanon for their “humanitarian crisis,” while USAID head Samantha Power bragged about helping Ukraine get power back after Russian attacks.
HOT TAKES: Blinken Ripped Into Next Week After Tone-Deaf Tweet in Face of Hurricane Helene Crisis
Kamala Harris Gets Massively Blasted for Tone-Deaf Remarks in Face of Hurricane Helene
Now, Joe and Jill Biden have finally gotten around to talking to the American public about Hurricane Helene in an X post by “Good Morning America.”
EXCLUSIVE: Pres. Biden and Dr. Jill Biden send a message of hope to those impacted by Hurricane Helene.
“To the people of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida…and Tennessee, Virginia and Alabama. Your nation has your back.”#SoutheastStrongABC pic.twitter.com/a81i8rSbrG
— Good Morning America (@GMA) October 7, 2024
“To the people of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida…and Tennessee, Virginia and Alabama. Your nation has your back,” they claimed.
Biden spoke about how he had visited the storm-affected area. Jill said, “We grieve with you, and this is more heartache than any one community can bear.”
“In moments like this, there are no red or blue states,” Biden said.
“No matter how you vote, we help each other when disaster strikes,” Jill stated. “Because we are one United States of America.”
Biden said he surged support before the storm hit, and thousands were on the ground to help out. He said he directed FEMA to stay there “until the job is done.”
A week and a half is just a bit late with a message to the nation. And the very fact that they are mentioning politics says to me that they’re trying to address the questions about the response. Unfortunately, I think that’s what this is about: an effort at this late point to show they care because they think it might affect the election. Otherwise, Biden could have made such a statement on Friday.
Also, why is “Good Morning America” posting this “exclusive” rather than the White House simply putting this out? It’s not an interview; it provides no phone numbers or specific information about how to get any help.
I wonder how many takes they had to take to get that, even though they appeared to be reading what they were saying. Then, too, this isn’t going to reach the people who don’t have power. But is it really meant for them — it’s more for the rest of us to convince us about what they have been doing.
I think it’s fair to say that most of the comments in response blasted the pair, with the most common response being they’re late.
Better late than nev…
No, this is absolutely disgraceful. https://t.co/wbi3zt7rfS
— Fusilli Spock (@awstar11) October 7, 2024
where was this video at 7 days ago? https://t.co/qZeMjjwdWP
— DeVory Darkins (@devorydarkins) October 7, 2024
The power is still off in parts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. They won’t see it. https://t.co/OifpEzIMSJ
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) October 7, 2024
