Harris assesses Helene's impact in Georgia — and avoids referencing Trump
The former president approached his visit with a political agenda, while the vice president concentrated hers on providing disaster relief.
TroibNews 
Kamala Harris, examining the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Augusta, Georgia, on Wednesday, offered insight into her potential role as consoler-in-chief.
Amid the destruction of fallen trees, the vice president expressed solidarity while discussing the support the administration is extending to communities impacted by the severe weather that struck the southeastern United States last weekend. She recognized local emergency responders for their commitment, even in the face of their own losses.
Harris's approach sharply contrasted with Donald Trump's politically charged comments during his visit to Valdosta, Georgia earlier in the week, where he criticized President Joe Biden and his administration for not providing adequate aid. This sentiment was not echoed by Georgia's Republican governor, whom Harris praised for his leadership during her visit.
“We are here for the long haul,” Harris assured attendees in Augusta's Meadowbrook neighborhood. “There's a lot of work that's going to need to happen over the coming days, weeks, and months, and the coordination that we have dedicated ourselves to will be long-lasting to get families, to get residents, to get neighborhoods back up and running.”
Her comments, which did not reference Trump, came after a briefing with local officials at the Augusta Emergency Operations Center. She also met with impacted families and business owners, and visited a distribution center where she handed out food. The events in Augusta were organized by the White House, rather than her campaign.
The storm has presented both candidates with a chance to showcase their leadership to voters just over a month before Election Day. Trump took a different route, straying from his prepared remarks to accuse Biden of “sleeping,” critique Harris for attending fundraisers and a rally during early recovery efforts, and derogatorily refer to her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as “Tampon Tim.” Trump also made an inaccurate claim that Biden hadn’t communicated with Kemp, despite the governor confirming that he had appreciated the federal disaster assistance.
This pattern mirrors Trump's usual approach during his presidency and in his candidacy, focusing on criticizing opponents instead of addressing the needs of affected communities. He attempted to politicize the disaster in a Truth Social post, falsely asserting that the Biden administration and North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper were “going out of their way not to help people in Republican areas.”
In contrast, Harris canceled several informal campaign events in Las Vegas earlier this week to participate in a briefing at FEMA’s headquarters. Her campaign also sent out a fundraising email on Wednesday encouraging contributions to the disaster relief effort.
The vice president has indicated plans to visit North Carolina, which has suffered significant destruction from flooding and mudslides caused by the storm, soon after ensuring that disaster response operations remain unaffected. Harris spoke with Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer on Tuesday, and Biden was in the Carolinas on Wednesday for a helicopter tour of the hard-hit areas of Western North Carolina.
Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Friday evening. It remains unclear whether he plans to visit storm-affected areas during his trip.
Rohan Mehta contributed to this report for TROIB News
Amid the destruction of fallen trees, the vice president expressed solidarity while discussing the support the administration is extending to communities impacted by the severe weather that struck the southeastern United States last weekend. She recognized local emergency responders for their commitment, even in the face of their own losses.
Harris's approach sharply contrasted with Donald Trump's politically charged comments during his visit to Valdosta, Georgia earlier in the week, where he criticized President Joe Biden and his administration for not providing adequate aid. This sentiment was not echoed by Georgia's Republican governor, whom Harris praised for his leadership during her visit.
“We are here for the long haul,” Harris assured attendees in Augusta's Meadowbrook neighborhood. “There's a lot of work that's going to need to happen over the coming days, weeks, and months, and the coordination that we have dedicated ourselves to will be long-lasting to get families, to get residents, to get neighborhoods back up and running.”
Her comments, which did not reference Trump, came after a briefing with local officials at the Augusta Emergency Operations Center. She also met with impacted families and business owners, and visited a distribution center where she handed out food. The events in Augusta were organized by the White House, rather than her campaign.
The storm has presented both candidates with a chance to showcase their leadership to voters just over a month before Election Day. Trump took a different route, straying from his prepared remarks to accuse Biden of “sleeping,” critique Harris for attending fundraisers and a rally during early recovery efforts, and derogatorily refer to her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as “Tampon Tim.” Trump also made an inaccurate claim that Biden hadn’t communicated with Kemp, despite the governor confirming that he had appreciated the federal disaster assistance.
This pattern mirrors Trump's usual approach during his presidency and in his candidacy, focusing on criticizing opponents instead of addressing the needs of affected communities. He attempted to politicize the disaster in a Truth Social post, falsely asserting that the Biden administration and North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper were “going out of their way not to help people in Republican areas.”
In contrast, Harris canceled several informal campaign events in Las Vegas earlier this week to participate in a briefing at FEMA’s headquarters. Her campaign also sent out a fundraising email on Wednesday encouraging contributions to the disaster relief effort.
The vice president has indicated plans to visit North Carolina, which has suffered significant destruction from flooding and mudslides caused by the storm, soon after ensuring that disaster response operations remain unaffected. Harris spoke with Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer on Tuesday, and Biden was in the Carolinas on Wednesday for a helicopter tour of the hard-hit areas of Western North Carolina.
Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Friday evening. It remains unclear whether he plans to visit storm-affected areas during his trip.
Rohan Mehta contributed to this report for TROIB News
