Even though it was hurricane season, Donald Trump seemed taken aback when Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida.
Trump addressed the "devastation" wrought by the storm across numerous states on Monday, September 30, during his speech at a campaign rally in Georgia.
"It’s so extensive, nobody thought this would be happening. Especially now it’s so late in the season for the hurricanes," he asserted.
Nonetheless, data compiled by the Florida Climate Center at Florida State University indicates that the Atlantic coast experiences hurricane season beginning in June and continuing into November, with the peak months being August and late October.
In the wake of the contentious remarks, Trump's detractors took to social media to blast the president for his glaring mistake.
A user from X messaged, "Hurricane season won't be over for almost 2 months. What a dunce," along with another, "I swear I lose brain cells listening to this man."
Then a third individual spoke up, "This is peak hurricane season [right now], it's supposed to get worse in October btw. He doesn't know anything. This is the guy who wants the highest position in the world? Pack him up, please."
A different person said, "He can’t even be honest during a disaster affecting millions of Americans who’ve already lost so much."
A final commentator said, "You would think someone who lives in Florida full-time would know when peak hurricane season is, but maybe I’m asking too much of him."
Helene has made landfall in multiple states, wreaking havoc on places including Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, and Florida, The New York Times reported. On Monday, September 30, AP News reported that the death toll had risen to nearly 130. Hundreds of people are still missing, and rescue and cleanup operations are ongoing.
At a recent briefing, White House Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall raised the possibility of "be as many as 600 lost lives" because of the catastrophic storm's destruction, LBC reported.
"Continue to surge resources, including food, water, communications and life saving equipment" would be sent to the impacted areas, according to President Joe Biden. He further stated, "We will be there with you as long as it takes."
Along with being humanitarian crises, natural disasters can also pose political challenges for elected authorities. This was especially true in the final weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign, when North Carolina and Georgia, two states that were heavily impacted, were also battlegrounds.
Over the past few days, Trump has attacked Democratic nominee Harris by pointing to the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene and suggesting that she and Biden are using the disaster for political gain, an accusation he leveled against Biden during his presidency.
