How do hurricanes Helene and Milton affect the US presidential race?

VOV.VN - Two major hurricanes, Helene and Milton, have recently made landfall in the United States, causing great damage to the country and also significantly affecting the election race that is approaching its final stages.

Historically, the slow response to Hurricane Katrina contributed to President George W. Bush’s second term, while the Obama administration’s effective relief efforts helped the former president win four more years in the White House. With less than four weeks to go until the November election, the two bipartisan candidates remain neck and neck in the race to succeed Biden in the White House. Two of the states hardest hit by Hurricane Helene, North Carolina and Georgia, as well as Florida, which was devastated by Hurricane Milton, are among the seven key battlegrounds that could decide the outcome of this year’s election. Disaster relief has once again become a focus of this year’s campaign.

Hurricane Milton seen from a satellite from outer space. Photo: Reuters

Mr. Trump attacked the Democratic Party

According to estimates, Hurricane Milton could cause up to 245 billion USD in damage due to its direct impact on the most populous area in the state of Florida. The issue of overcoming the consequences of the storm and stabilizing people's lives is being put first and clearly, Mr. Trump has turned his economic advantage into a campaign tactic.

Recently, Mr. Trump invited 275 electricians in Florida, where Hurricane Milton had just made landfall, to take shelter at an expensive resort in Florida. Previously, the former President also stood up to raise funds to support victims of Hurricane Helene, and the current fundraising amount has reached the 7 million USD mark. Mr. Trump repeatedly accused the Biden-Harris administration of not being competent enough to direct relief programs for people affected by floods and natural disasters, and also said that the current administration was using relief money for immigrants. Appearing at a recent election campaign in Pennsylvania, the former President declared: "It is the worst response from the head of the White House since Hurricane Katrina swept through the United States in 2005. Obviously they are not capable of leadership."

Mr. Donald Trump. Photo: ABC

Reinforcing his running mate's argument, Ohio Senator JD Vance also said that the federal government only provided $750 in aid to citizens affected by Hurricane Helene. Meanwhile, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, said that the current administration is responsible for recent natural disasters because it "tested many new technologies in space, causing climate change." In the context of the race moving towards the end, whether the above statements are "blatant lies" as the Democrats claim or not, they can paint a "not very good portrait" of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, CNN journalist Stephen Collison commented.

Ms. Harris responded strongly.

In an interview on the Weather Channel on October 9, Vice President Kamala Harris strongly responded to the attacks from Republicans: "This is not the time for us to criticize each other as Americans," Ms. Harris said. "Anyone who considers themselves a real leader 'rolls up their sleeves and gets to work,' instead of just talking nonsense." President Biden called Florida officials on the evening of April 9, before Hurricane Milton made landfall in the state. Before that, he also spoke with Democratic and Republican senators from states heavily affected by Hurricane Helene to quickly deal with the aftermath of the storm. "I've directed my team to do everything we can to save lives and help communities before, during, and after the storm — the one that just passed and the one that's coming. This is the most important message I have for people in affected areas: Please listen to your local authorities, follow all safety instructions and evacuation orders. This is a very serious situation," Biden said at the end of a long day overseeing the federal response to the storms.

Ms. Kamala Harris. Photo: Reuters

In response to Trump’s claims of misuse of relief funds, the White House has opened a Reddit account to identify and correct misinformation. FEMA Senior Administrator Deanne Criswell appeared on CNN News Central, urging people not to believe Trump’s claims. Researchers say Hurricane Helene, which hit the East Coast in late September, and Hurricane Milton, which recently swept through Florida, are manifestations of climate change, an issue that has not been highly rated in the US election. A Gallup poll conducted just before Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida in late September found that just 5% of Republicans and Republican-leaning voters, along with more than a third of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters, said climate change was “extremely important” to their vote. But the numbers don’t tell the whole story, especially after two major hurricanes swept through the United States. Contrary to Mr. Trump’s belief that “climate change isn’t real,” Ms. Harris and Mr. Walz plan to build a green economy during their next term in the White House. She also supports a progressive wish list of climate goals, including ending America’s dependence on fossil fuels within the next 10 years, as a co-sponsor of the Green New Deal bill in the Senate. Democrats see the bill as a solution to climate change, while also addressing other social goals like creating jobs and reducing economic inequality. In a recent Gallup poll, Harris has a 26-point advantage over Trump on climate change, a record margin in recent polls, with Trump leading his Democratic opponent by just 9 points on the economy and immigration.

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