Hurricane Helene is shifting the presidential candidates鈥� plans this week.
Democratic nominee is cutting short a campaign visit to Las Vegas to return to Washington for briefings. Republican candidate is heading to Georgia to see the storm鈥檚 impact.
Hurricane Helene鈥檚 is more than 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.
Presidents typically avoid racing toward disaster zones so they don鈥檛 interfere with recovery efforts. The White House said Harris would visit impacted areas 鈥渁s soon as it is possible without disrupting emergency response operations.鈥�
President Joe Biden spoke about his administration鈥檚 response to Hurricane Helene and plans to visit areas affected by the storm later this week.
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Here鈥檚 the latest:
Trump's hurricane relief fundraiser surpasses $1 million
A GoFundMe campaign launched by former president Donald Trump to help the victims of Hurricane Helene has raised more than $1 million.
The website calls the effort 鈥渁n official response for MAGA supporters to offer their financial assistance to their fellow Americans impacted by Hurricane Helene鈥� and promises that all donations will be directed to those who have been impacted by the devastation.
Trump earlier Monday paid a visit to Valdosta, Georgia, and said he had brought with him supplies, including fuel, that will be distributed by the Christian relief group Samaritan鈥檚 Purse.
Trump slams US response to Helene. His own disaster-response record is marked by politics
Former President Trump criticized the Biden administration鈥檚 response to the , even as his supporters have called for cuts to federal agencies that warn of weather disasters and deliver relief to hard-hit communities.
As president, Trump for hurricane-devastated Puerto Rico and in order to finance an effort to return undocumented migrants to Mexico. And , backed by Trump supporters, would restructure FEMA to limit aid to states and says that the National Weather Service, which provides crucial data on hurricanes and other storms, 鈥渟hould be broken up and downsized.鈥�
Read more .
Biden responds to Trump's false statements regarding the federal hurricane response
President Biden criticized Trump for 鈥渓ying鈥� about federal contacts with Georgia officials during the response to Hurricane Helene. Trump falsely claimed during a Monday tour of the damage that Biden hadn鈥檛 been in touch with the state鈥檚 Republican governor. 鈥淗e鈥檚 lying, and the governor told him he was lying.鈥�
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know why he does this,鈥� Biden continued. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 care about what he says about me, but I care what he what he communicates to people that are in need. He implies that we鈥檙e not doing everything possible. We are. We are.鈥�
North Carolina officials work to ensure those affected by Hurricane Helene have voting access
State election officials in North Carolina are gathering information about options available to voters in the counties hardest hit by Hurricane Helene and plan a press conference for Tuesday.
Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said during an emergency board meeting on Monday that she will be providing more information, including details on how voters could declare 鈥渘atural disaster鈥� as their reason for not being able to provide a photo ID.
The board met Monday to approve a resolution granting counties flexibility for holding weekly meetings required under state law to review absentee ballots. These meetings are required to begin every Tuesday between now and Election Day, officials said. The resolution passed unanimously.
White House pushes back against assertion by Trump that Biden has been unresponsive in aftermath of Hurricane Helene
The White House on Monday pushed back against an assertion by Donald Trump that President Joe Biden has been unresponsive to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Trump earlier on Monday praised Kemp for doing a 鈥渧ery good job鈥� but said he was 鈥渉aving a hard time getting the president on the phone.鈥� Trump added both Biden and the federal government are 鈥渘ot being responsive鈥�
White House Karine Jean-Pierre during her daily press briefing noted that Kemp himself told reporters that he spoke to Biden on Sunday and that the president asked him what Georgia needed.
The president鈥檚 homeland security adviser, Liz Sherwood-Randall, said that Biden made clear that he offered Kemp 鈥渁nything鈥� Georgia needed for its response to the storm and remains available to the governor.
鈥淪o, if the governor would like to speak to the president again, of course, the president will take his call,鈥� Sherwood-Randall said.
Trump makes false claims about federal response while campaigning in area ravaged by Hurricane Helene
Donald Trump repeatedly spread falsehoods Monday about the federal response to Hurricane Helene despite claiming not to be politicizing the disaster as he toured hard-hit areas in south Georgia.
Trump criticized Vice President Kamala Harris for 鈥渃ampaigning and looking for money.鈥� He also levied attacks against the federal government for being 鈥渘on-responsive鈥� to the disaster, claiming Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has been struggling to get President Joe Biden on the phone. This is despite the White House announcing that Biden spoke by phone on Sunday night with Kemp. And North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. Kemp, meanwhile, expressed appreciation on Monday for federal response to the storm.
Valdosta representative says hurricane relief is non-political
ATLANTA 鈥� Dexter Sharper, a Democratic state representative whose district includes most of Valdosta, didn鈥檛 journey downtown to see Trump Monday. He said he was sitting in his truck outside his powerless home, charging his cell phone while trying to coordinate ways to get hot meals to people who also lack electricity.
鈥淭o me, it鈥檚 a non-factor whether Donald Trump is here or if any of those people are here,鈥� Sharper told the Associated Press by phone.
He praised both Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and U.S. Rep. Austin Scott and Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff for visiting Valdosta, saying they helped bring needed aid.
鈥淚鈥檓 helping ensure that there鈥檚 going to be a bipartisan effort to help Georgia get all the funds we need so we can get back to normal,鈥� Sharper said. 鈥渋t鈥檚 nonpolitical with us.鈥�
Georgia officials say they welcome the federal response and will work in a bipartisan way on disaster relief
ATLANTA 鈥� Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and U.S. Rep. Rick Allen, both Republicans, did not attack the federal response Monday morning at a news conference in hard-hit Augusta.
鈥淛ust know that we will work in a bipartisan way on disaster relief in this state with our federal, state and local partners,鈥� said Kemp, who has often been the subject of attacks by Trump before the former president and Kemp recently patched things up.
The two-term governor said he spoke directly to Biden on Sunday evening and has 鈥渂een playing phone tag鈥� with Harris.
鈥淭he president just called me yesterday afternoon and I missed him and called him right back and he just said 鈥楬ey, what do you need?鈥� And I told him, you know, we鈥檝e got what we need, we鈥檒l work through the federal process,鈥� Kemp said. 鈥淗e offered if there are other things we need just to call him directly, which I appreciate that. But we鈥檝e had FEMA embedded with us since a day or two before the storm hit in our state operations center in Atlanta. We鈥檝e got a great relationship with them.鈥�
Kemp said the state has submitted a request for an expedited emergency declaration to get federal aid for governments and individuals. Normally, the federal government doesn鈥檛 start issuing aid until state and local governments have completed damage assessments. Kemp said FEMA acknowledged the request.
Allen, a five-term congressman who said a tree is 鈥渞esting鈥� on the roof of his home after the storm, also said storm relief would be bipartisan
鈥淭his is not a Democrat or Republican issue,鈥� said Allen, who represents the Augusta area. 鈥淭his is an American issue. This is a Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina issue.鈥�
Trump says he is going to Georgia with lots of relief material
Trump says is he heading to Valdosta, Georgia, and bringing along 鈥渓ots of relief material, including fuel, equipment, water, and other things鈥� to help those struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Trump says in a post on his social media site that he will be joined by 鈥淢any politicians and Law Enforcement,鈥� including evangelist Franklin Graham, whose organization, Samaritan鈥檚 Purse, has been helping with disaster relief, and Valdosta鈥檚 mayor.
He adds that he was going to stop into North Carolina, and has 鈥渓ot of supplies ready for them,鈥� but that he is postponing that part of his trip because 鈥渁ccess and communication is now restricted鈥� and so that local emergency management 鈥渋s able to focus on helping the people most affected, and not being concerned with me.鈥�
In typical Trump fashion, though, he also tried to exacerbate political fault lines, claiming, without evidence, that the federal government and the state鈥檚 Democratic governor were 鈥済oing out of their way to not help people in Republican areas.鈥� There is no evidence that is the case.
Asheville, one of the hardest-hit parts of the state, is solidly Democratic, as is the rest of Buncombe County.
Trump campaign is lowering expectations ahead of Tuesday's vice presidential debate
Ahead of Tuesday night鈥檚 vice presidential debate, the Trump campaign is lowering expectations that the former president鈥檚 running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance to have a decisive performance, telling reporters in a teleconference on Monday that Walz is a seasoned politician who is nimble on the debate stage.
鈥淭im Walz is very good in debates, really good. He鈥檚 been a politician for nearly 20 years. He鈥檒l be very well prepared for tomorrow night,鈥� said Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump. He predicted the Democratic governor of Minnesota will be much more 鈥渂uttoned up鈥� than he is on the campaign trail and ready to defend his record, but said, 鈥渢hat鈥檚 not to say that JD Vance won鈥檛 be prepared tomorrow, or that somehow he isn鈥檛 up to the challenge.鈥�
Miller was joined on the call by Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., who has been helping Vance prepare for the debate by playing Walz in debate prep sessions. Emmer said he has spent the last month reviewing all of Walz鈥檚 past debate performances, studying his mannerisms and policies, and declared that 鈥淛D Vance is prepared to wipe the floor with Tim Walz and expose him to the radical liberal he is.鈥�
Harris recalls morning after President Biden told her he was leaving the presidential race
Harris says that when President Biden called and told her he was leaving the presidential race in July, it left her with some trouble sleeping.
鈥淓verything was in speedy, speedy motion鈥� and 鈥淚 was not sleeping so well,鈥� she said on an episode of the 鈥淎ll the Smoke鈥� podcast.
She laughed and added, 鈥淚 like to sleep.鈥� She recalled that, the morning after that phone call, Harris said she wasn鈥檛 able to sleep. So she got up and started marinating a pot roast for her family.
鈥淓verybody was asleep. I just got up and started cooking,鈥� she recalled.
Harris tells podcast she has been clear about her racial identity and background
Vice President Kamala Harris says she鈥檚 been clear about her racial identity and background and doesn鈥檛 listen to questions about it raised by critics, including her presidential race opponent, Republican Donald Trump.
Asked about criticism about her identity on an episode of the 鈥淎ll the Smoke鈥� podcast that was released Monday, Harris responded, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 listen to it.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 really clear about who I am,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd if anybody else is not they have to go through their own level of therapy.鈥�
Harris said she鈥檚 happy to discuss her identity more fully, but that really doing so would require an hours-long discussion about the role of race in America.
鈥淢y mother was very clear. She was raising two Black girls to be two proud Black women,鈥� Harris said. 鈥淎nd it was never a question.鈥�
Harris tells podcast 鈥楢ll the Smoke鈥� about the blind date where she met her husband
Vice President Kamala Harris says of the infamous blind date where she met her husband, Doug Emhoff, 鈥淚 just have a really bossy best friend.鈥�
Set up by especially persuasive friends, Harris told an episode of the 鈥淎ll the Smoke鈥� podcast that was released Monday that Emhoff picked her up for the date in a BMW. He immediately divulged, 鈥淚鈥檓 a really bad driver,鈥� she recalled.
鈥淚 guess he was trying to create a little expectation,鈥� Harris said.
She said the pair then went to Emhoff鈥檚 favorite restaurant where people who worked there 鈥渨ere like, 鈥楬ey Doug.鈥欌�� She didn鈥檛 name the restaurant.
Harris and Trump address Hurricane Helene on the campaign trail
At the beginning of on Sunday, Harris said 鈥渨e will stand with these communities for as long as it takes to make sure that they are able to recover and rebuild.鈥�
Trump, , on Sunday, described the storm as 鈥渁 big monster hurricane鈥� that had 鈥渉it a lot harder than anyone even thought possible.鈥�
He criticized Harris for attending weekend fundraising events in California while the storm hit.
鈥淪he ought to be down in the area where she should be,鈥� Trump said.
The White House said Harris would visit impacted areas 鈥渁s soon as it is possible without disrupting emergency response operations.鈥� 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.
The Associated Press
