President Joe Biden said former President Donald Trump was “lying” when he suggested Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp was “having a hard time getting the president on the phone,” adding it’s “irresponsible” of Trump to imply “that we're not doing everything possible” to help the victims of Hurricane Helene, which ravaged southern states over the weekend.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 30: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks after meeting with North Carolina ... [+]
Trump told reporters Monday in Georgia “the federal government is not being very responsive” and alleged Kemp was having a hard time reaching Biden—despite Kemp previously saying he had spoken to Biden, who he said told him “if there’s [anything else] we need just to call him directly.”
“I get so angry about it,” Biden said of Trump’s claims, adding “I don't care about what he says about me, but I care what he communicates to the people that are in need.”
The president went on to say: “He implies that we're not doing everything possible. We are.”
Trump has been slamming the government’s response to Helene, accused Biden of “sleeping” instead of responding to people in need and criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for not immediately traveling to damaged areas.
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.
Despite Trump’s criticism of Biden and Harris not getting to the disaster zones sooner, two former FEMA directors told Politico on Monday it’s often better to wait in situations like this, and The Washington Post also spoke to disaster experts who said it can be complicated to visit too soon after because of how presidential travel and logistics can disrupt response efforts.
Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend as a Category 4 storm on Thursday before northward, bringing “historic and catastrophic flooding” to the southern Appalachians. The storm killed more than 130 people, according to the Associated Press, and the death toll is expected to continue rising. An estimated 2 million people were still without power on Monday afternoon, CNN reported, and hundreds of people across six southern states—Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee—were reportedly still unaccounted for.