If there’s one thing President Joe Biden seems to excel at, it’s making bad situations worse. After returning from yet another beach vacation, Biden’s handling of the response to Hurricane Helene, which devastated parts of the southeastern U.S., particularly western North Carolina, is drawing sharp criticism.
The region has been described as experiencing its own “Hurricane Katrina moment,” but Biden’s response has been far from reassuring.
When asked on Sunday about the federal response to the hurricane, Biden was asked if he had any words for the victims. His answer: “We’ve given everything that we have.”
A follow-up question inquired if there were any more resources the federal government could offer. Biden simply responded, “No.” His curt replies came at a time when victims needed reassurances that help was still on the way.
By Monday, Biden was back at the White House, delivering a speech in which he promised that the federal government would be there “as long as it takes to finish this job.”
This was an interesting claim considering the lack of clarity on how much federal assistance had actually reached the devastated areas. He also pledged to visit hard-hit regions, but only when it wouldn’t be too “disruptive” to recovery efforts.
After the speech, Biden was asked why he and Vice President Kamala Harris weren’t in Washington managing the crisis over the weekend.
His response was defensive, to say the least: “I was commanding. I was on the phone for at least two hours yesterday, and the day before as well. I command, it’s called a telephone.”
WATCH:
REPORTER: "On the hurricane, why weren't you and VP Harris here in Washington commanding this this weekend?"
BIDEN: "I was commanding! I was on the phone…" pic.twitter.com/ak07MAcGiL
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 30, 2024
For people who have lost everything, hearing that the president was handling the crisis from the beach with a few phone calls likely doesn’t provide much comfort.
His response could easily be interpreted as dismissive, leaving the impression that while victims were suffering, he was relaxing and making a few calls.
Meanwhile, Vice President Harris has yet to do much more than share a staged photo of herself supposedly being “briefed by FEMA.”
The photo, intended to convey her involvement, backfired as it appeared her headset wasn’t even plugged in, and the paper she was writing on looked blank.
I was just briefed by @FEMA_Deanne Criswell on the latest developments about the ongoing impacts of Hurricane Helene. We also discussed our Administration's continued actions to support emergency response and recovery.
I also spoke with @NC_Governor Cooper about the ongoing… pic.twitter.com/nlZPB0h3mO— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) September 30, 2024
Both Biden and Harris’s responses to the hurricane have left many questioning their leadership during this critical time.
Instead of providing reassurance and action, their responses have been viewed as inadequate and tone-deaf, further fueling criticism of their handling of this crisis.
