Trump falsely claims Harris ‘nowhere to be found’ in post-Helene North Carolina On September 27, 2024, former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attends a campaign town hall session at Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan. Reuters/Cook, Rebecca
Trump falsely claims Harris ‘nowhere to be found’ in post-Helene North Carolina In one of his many misrepresentations following his first trip to the western portion of the state following Hurricane Helene, former U.S. President Donald Trump falsely accused his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, of deserting North Carolina residents affected by the storm during a rally in Greenville on Monday afternoon.
“Kamala Harris was not present when North Carolina needed assistance.”
Harris visited the disaster area several times in the week that followed, including once assisting with the packing of aid kits at a distribution center in western North Carolina, according to the Associated Press, even though she did attend a fundraiser at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco in the days following Helene’s impact on North Carolina.
Trump visited other storm-affected counties in Georgia, but he did not travel to western North Carolina until Monday, when he spoke with afflicted residents in Asheville. He took credit for persuading Elon Musk to give North Carolinians and Georgians affected by the hurricane Starlink satellite communication devices, although he recognized this during his speech on Monday, telling the audience he did not want to interfere with recovery operations.
Trump’s rally drew hundreds of fans to East Carolina University’s Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. Last week, Harris addressed a crowded auditorium, calling Trump “weak and unstable” and accusing him of avoiding interviews. The former president avoided the lengthy silences that raised concerns about his health during previous remarks by speaking for just over an hour Monday, just after 3 p.m.