Harris, Trump shift plans after Hurricane Helene’s destruction

2024-12-25 17:10:50 source:lotradecoin supported cryptocurrencies list category:Markets

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hurricane Helene’s deadly devastation has scrambled the presidential candidates’ campaign plans, with Kamala Harris returning early from a campaign visit to Las Vegas to attend briefings and Donald Trump heading to Georgia to see the storm’s impact.

The death toll is close to 100 people and rising, with some of the worst damage caused by inland flooding in North Carolina.

In addition to being humanitarian crises, natural disasters can create political tests for elected officials, particularly in the closing weeks of a presidential campaign.

At the beginning of a rally in Las Vegas on Sunday, Harris said “we will stand with these communities for as long as it takes to make sure that they are able to recover and rebuild.”

President Joe Biden was scheduled to speak about his administration’s response to Hurricane Helene on Monday morning. He plans to visit areas affected by the storm later this week, with efforts to not disrupt response efforts.

Trump, speaking in Erie, Pa., on Sunday, described the storm as “a big monster hurricane” that had “hit a lot harder than anyone even thought possible.”

RELATED COVERAGE What to watch as JD Vance and Tim Walz meet for a vice presidential debate Biden says he hopes to visit Helene-impacted areas this week if it doesn’t impact emergency response Trump escalates attacks on Harris’ mental fitness and suggests she should be prosecuted

He criticized Harris for attending weekend “fundraising events with her radical left lunatic donors” in California while the storm hit.

“She ought to be down in the area where she should be,” Trump said.

The White House said Harris would visit impacted areas “as soon as it is possible without disrupting emergency response operations.” She also spoke with Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, and she received a briefing from Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell while she was traveling.

More:Markets

Recommend

Jim Leach, former US representative from Iowa, dies at 82

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Jim Leach, who served 30 years as a politician from eastern

This snowplow driver just started his own service. But warmer winters threaten it

This winter, Harold Davis, 29, decided to get into the snowplow business for himself, after about a

Please Stand Up and See Eminem's Complete Family Tree

Eminem's family boasts more than just mom's spaghetti.The "Lose Yourself" rapper (born Marshall Math