Trump accuses Biden of 'leaving Americans to drown' amid Hurricane Helene, ignores own aid withholding

WASHINGTON, DC: Former president Donald Trump made a series of allegations against President Joe Biden, accusing his successor of not providing needed help to victims of Hurricane Helene.

The GOP presidential nominee claimed Biden "left Americans to drown" in the southern region hit by the Category 4 storm and failed to assist the flooded regions in western North Carolina and Georgia.

However, Trump's accusations mirrored his own actions as president when he withheld aid to victims of natural disasters in California and Puerto Rico, according to HuffPost.

Donald Trump makes false claims about Joe Biden's failure in aiding Hurricane Helene victims 

Visiting Valdosta, in Georgia, on Monday, September 30, Donald Trump said the state's Republican governor, Brian Kemp, was calling the president but was not able to connect.

Kemp himself rebutted the false claim the same day.

"The president just called me yesterday afternoon. I missed him, and I called him right back," the Georgia governor told reporters. "And he just said, 'Hey, what do you need?'"

Prior to his Valdosta visit, Trump made similar false accusations on his Truth Social platform regarding the situation in western North Carolina. He claimed the federal government and the Democrat governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, were "going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas."

"They have left Americans to drown in North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and elsewhere in the South," the MAGA leader claimed without evidence in another post.

On September 30, Biden convened a press conference at the White House detailing his efforts to respond to the crisis. The president also pledged to visit the most devasted regions only later this week to avoid any distraction and disruption to the operations.

Donald Trump once withheld Congress-approved aid to natural disaster-hit areas

Donald Trump's accusations against the 46th president were, in fact, a reflection of his own conduct during his Oval Office period.

A 2021 report by the Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General revealed the Trump administration withheld over $20 billion in relief aid to Puerto Rico after the catastrophic Hurricane Maria in 2017.

The former president's obstruction came despite the assistance being congressionally approved after the Category 5 storm that killed thousands in the Caribbean territory.

Similarly, in October 2020, Trump denied assistance to California following the destruction caused by six wildfires.

In a letter to the Trump administration, Gov Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, said the disaster caused over $229 million worth of infrastructure damage, urging "federal assistance is critical to support physical and economic recovery of California and its communities," as per CNN.

The White House stated that the request for a presidential major disaster declaration was denied because of insufficient "relevant data."

Internet slams Donald Trump for accusing Joe Biden of withholding aid despite own actions as POTUS

Netizens ripped Donald Trump for projecting his response to financial aid by claiming Joe Biden was withholding assistance to Hurricane-Helene-hit regions."He is a classic projector," a user wrote.

"Trump did that. Biden is helping. He lied," another remarked.

"That is all Trump does. He lies and projects," added a user.

"Trump blames everyone else and not any responsibility he has done wrong," a user commented on Facebook.

"Will someone just shut him up !!! Everything that comes out of his mouth is disgusting and nothing he says is true," another fumed.

"It's called projection, classic Trumpian move, when he accuses President Biden or VP Harris of the very thing that is true, or was true of something he is now or has done in the past. He constantly says that Kamala is "crazy" or "not very smart" when every time he opens his mouth he demonstrates that this a more accurate description for him," read one response.

"He's a "PITIFUL" human being, he lies as easily as breathing. There is nothing that he has accused others of doing, that he hasn't done HIMSELF. His total package/game is to DEFLECT and that's all he got," someone else said.

"More trump blatant hypocrisy! Biden isn't withholding aide and he never has. Disaster relief is already underway. He can't be expected to go to the impacted areas and wade through the water and hazardous debris. Come on now," an individual added.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.