Harris Visits Georgia, Offering Comfort to Helene's Victims — In Contrast to Trump's Approach
The ex-president framed his visit in political terms, while the vice president concentrated hers on providing disaster relief.
TroibNews 
Kamala Harris, in Augusta, Georgia on Wednesday, provided a glimpse of her potential role as consoler-in-chief while assessing the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.
Amidst a landscape marked by toppled trees, the vice president expressed solidarity as she addressed the support the administration is extending to communities impacted by the severe weather that swept through the southeastern United States over the past weekend. She expressed gratitude towards local emergency responders who have risen to the occasion despite their own losses.
Harris's demeanor starkly contrasted with Donald Trump's politically charged visit to Valdosta, Georgia earlier this week, where he blamed President Joe Biden and his team for failing to supply the necessary aid to the area. This criticism was not echoed by the state’s Republican governor, and during her visit, Harris commended Gov. Brian Kemp for his leadership.
“We are here for the long haul,” Harris assured the crowd gathered 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.”
Notably, her comments did not reference Trump directly. They came after a briefing from local officials at the Augusta Emergency Operations Center. During her engagement, she also met with affected families and business owners, and visited a distribution center where she distributed food. These activities were organized through the White House rather than her campaign.
The hurricane has presented both candidates with a chance to showcase their leadership just over a month ahead of Election Day. Trump took a different approach during his remarks on Monday, suggesting Biden was “sleeping,” and criticizing Harris for attending fundraisers in California and a rally in Las Vegas during the early recovery efforts, while he derogatorily referred to her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as “Tampon Tim.” He also made a false claim about Biden not communicating with Kemp, despite the governor’s assertion that he had spoken with the president and appreciated the federal disaster assistance.
This approach mirrored Trump's typical strategy as both president and candidate, often directing attention towards his opponents instead of focusing on the communities affected by disasters. On his Truth Social platform earlier this week, Trump attempted to politicize the situation by 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 in the week to attend a briefing at FEMA’s headquarters. Her campaign also sent out a fundraising email directing supporters to aid the disaster relief efforts.
The vice president has stated her intention to visit North Carolina, a state severely impacted by flooding and mudslides from the storm, in the near future, contingent on not disrupting disaster response operations. She spoke with Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer on Tuesday, as noted by the White House. Biden visited the Carolinas on Wednesday to inspect the hurricane damage, utilizing a helicopter tour over severely affected areas in Western North Carolina.
Trump is slated to hold a rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina on Friday evening, although it remains uncertain if he will also visit storm-affected areas during this trip.
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
Amidst a landscape marked by toppled trees, the vice president expressed solidarity as she addressed the support the administration is extending to communities impacted by the severe weather that swept through the southeastern United States over the past weekend. She expressed gratitude towards local emergency responders who have risen to the occasion despite their own losses.
Harris's demeanor starkly contrasted with Donald Trump's politically charged visit to Valdosta, Georgia earlier this week, where he blamed President Joe Biden and his team for failing to supply the necessary aid to the area. This criticism was not echoed by the state’s Republican governor, and during her visit, Harris commended Gov. Brian Kemp for his leadership.
“We are here for the long haul,” Harris assured the crowd gathered 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.”
Notably, her comments did not reference Trump directly. They came after a briefing from local officials at the Augusta Emergency Operations Center. During her engagement, she also met with affected families and business owners, and visited a distribution center where she distributed food. These activities were organized through the White House rather than her campaign.
The hurricane has presented both candidates with a chance to showcase their leadership just over a month ahead of Election Day. Trump took a different approach during his remarks on Monday, suggesting Biden was “sleeping,” and criticizing Harris for attending fundraisers in California and a rally in Las Vegas during the early recovery efforts, while he derogatorily referred to her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as “Tampon Tim.” He also made a false claim about Biden not communicating with Kemp, despite the governor’s assertion that he had spoken with the president and appreciated the federal disaster assistance.
This approach mirrored Trump's typical strategy as both president and candidate, often directing attention towards his opponents instead of focusing on the communities affected by disasters. On his Truth Social platform earlier this week, Trump attempted to politicize the situation by 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 in the week to attend a briefing at FEMA’s headquarters. Her campaign also sent out a fundraising email directing supporters to aid the disaster relief efforts.
The vice president has stated her intention to visit North Carolina, a state severely impacted by flooding and mudslides from the storm, in the near future, contingent on not disrupting disaster response operations. She spoke with Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer on Tuesday, as noted by the White House. Biden visited the Carolinas on Wednesday to inspect the hurricane damage, utilizing a helicopter tour over severely affected areas in Western North Carolina.
Trump is slated to hold a rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina on Friday evening, although it remains uncertain if he will also visit storm-affected areas during this trip.
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
