Trump withheld federal disaster aid to areas that voted for Democrats, claim ex-White House aides
WASHINGTON, DC: Ex-White House officials have alleged that former President Donald Trump considered withholding federal disaster aid from states that did not predominantly support the Republican Party during his tenure.
Mark Harvey, a senior director on Trump's National Security Council, and Olivia Troye, the ex-homeland security adviser to Mike Pence, told Politico’s E&E News that on at least three instances, Trump politicized and intentionally postponed disaster relief during his presidency.
Former officials allege Donald Trump withheld disaster aid during California wildfires
In a startling revelation, Harvey has claimed that during the devastating California wildfires in 2018, Trump initially withheld disaster aid on the grounds that the state traditionally votes Democratic.
According to Harvey, it was only after his staff highlighted that Orange County — a region affected by the fires — predominantly supported Trump, that the then-president reconsidered and approved the assistance.
“We went as far as looking up how many votes he got in those impacted areas … to show him these are people who voted for you,” Harvey's account was confirmed by Troye.
Troye has accused Trump of refusing to sign off on aid documents during his presidency, despite local politicians' appeals, prompting her to consistently seek Pence's intervention.
She cautions that should Trump be re-elected in 2024, she fears he will persist in politicizing disaster relief, an issue of heightened pertinence as focus shifts to the recovery of southern states ravaged by Hurricane Helene in late September.
"It’s not going to be about that American voter out there who isn’t even really paying attention to politics, and their house is gone, and the president of the United States is judging them for how they voted, and they didn’t even vote," Troye said.
Harvey further added, "There’s no empathy for the survivors. It is all about getting your photo-op, right? Disaster theater to make him look good."
Mark Harvey and Olivia Troye warn against Donald Trump’s misinformation on disaster relief
The cautions issued by Harvey and Troye, both of whom have endorsed Kamala Harris for president, arise amidst falsehoods propagated by Trump regarding Joe Biden administration's handling of Hurricane Helene.
On September 30, the former president made an unsubstantiated claim that the Biden administration and the Democratic governor of North Carolina were, “going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas.”
Trump incorrectly alleged that President Joe Biden was avoiding calls from Georgia's Republican governor during the storm, a claim the governor has refuted.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dismissed the comments, emphasizing that officials have rescued and assisted over 1,400 individuals affected by the lethal storm.
"It doesn’t matter which state it is. It doesn’t matter if it’s a red state or blue state," she said. "This is their job — to get food there, to get generators there, to save some lives, to rescue people. And so we are very proud of the work that they’ve done."
Internet slams Donald Trump
As soon as the news surfaced Facebook, users started slamming Trump. A user said, "Big shocker that he doesn’t care about the Americans"
Another added, "OMG just when you think he can't get any worse, he does."
The third commentator talked about voting against Trump, "Such a sad man. Let’s vote and send him back to Florida."
"Sick. He’s a deeply sick man," a critic said.
A person claimed the former president is "unfit for the office"
Another chimed in, "He only thinks of himself."
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.
