Biden slams Trump for 'onslaught of lies' about federal hurricane response

President Joe Biden on Wednesday criticized former President Donald Trump for an “onslaught of lies” about the federal response to Hurricane Helene and preparation for Hurricane Milton.

“In recent weeks there has been a reckless, irresponsible and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies that are leaving people unsettled,” Biden said as he gathered officials at the White House to discuss the back-to-back storms.

“It undermines confidence in the incredible rescue and recovery work that has already been done and is still being done, and it is harmful to those who need help most,” Biden continued. “There’s just no room for it.”

Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and other officials discussed ongoing efforts to help the Southeast recover from Helene's destruction. The storm killed more than 230 people and left hundreds displaced.

Biden took aim at some of the specific falsehoods spread by Trump or his Republican allies, including misinformation about the FEMA aid available to people and where it is being spent.

“Former President Trump led the onslaught of lies. Allegations were made that property was being confiscated. “That’s just not true,” Biden said. “They say the people affected by these storms will receive $750 in cash and no more. That's simply not true. They say the money needed for this crisis is being redirected to migrants. What a ridiculous statement, that's not true.”

Trump later continued to describe the administration's handling of the storm as “the worst hurricane response since Katrina” at a rally in embattled Pennsylvania.

Biden also pushed back against Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch Trump ally, who spread a conspiracy theory on social media that the federal government has technology to control weather patterns.

“Now the claims are getting even more bizarre. Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene is now saying that the federal government literally controls the weather. We control the weather. This is beyond ridiculous.”

FEMA's Criswell was later asked by reporters at the daily White House briefing what misinformation she believes is most negatively affecting people.

“Frankly, I think all of this is hurting our ability to reach people,” Criswell said. “It is intended to incite distrust, and that level of distrust is, as the president said today, un-American.”

The government is trying to combat misinformation about Helene as it prepares for the fast-approaching Hurricane Milton, which Biden says could be the “storm of the century.”

Millions of people in Florida are under evacuation orders as Milton is expected to make landfall as a Category 3 storm Wednesday evening.

Vice President Harris asked Criswell during Wednesday's briefing whether FEMA was seeing misinformation about evacuation calls.

“There was certainly a lot of misinformation, Madam Vice President,” Criswell said. “But I haven’t heard anything concrete about the evacuations. I think local officials and state officials have been very strong in getting that message out and getting people out of harm's way.”