Harris, Trump visit North Carolina, discuss federal response to Hurricane Helene

The two major presidential candidates visited North Carolina to discuss the federal government’s response to Hurricane Helene, following President Joe Biden’s visit Wednesday to monitor damage in the state.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump hosted a town hall at Crown Arena in Fayetteville on Friday afternoon, while Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris touched down in Charlotte on Saturday, visiting Helene-affected regions for the second time in four days.

During his town hall, Trump sharply criticized the Biden administration’s response to Hurricane Helene.

“They’re doing the worst job in a hurricane that any administration has ever done,” Trump said, comparing the federal response to Hurricane Katrina.

He specifically criticized the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s efforts to distribute resources, claiming that “illegal immigrants” are being housed in hotels and “passing through veterans sleeping on the streets.”

Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, who moderated the event, also believes the government “intentionally… failed to help the people of (North Carolina) because it affects red communities.”

CNN deemed both claims false. On Thursday, FEMA issued a statement that it was not using any funds for activities other than disaster response and recovery.

The rest of the town hall covered topics such as immigration, the military and changing the name of Fort Liberty to Fort Bragg. Notably, Trump once again failed to mention Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson.