Trump slams U.S. response to Helene. His own disaster-response record is marked by politics

Former President Trump walks outside the Chez What furniture store as he visits Valdosta, Ga., a town affected by Hurricane Helene, on Monday. Former President Trump criticized the Biden administration’s response to the widespread devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, even as his supporters have called for cuts to federal agencies that warn of weather disasters and deliver relief to hard-hit communities. And Project 2025, backed by Trump supporters, would restructure FEMA to limit aid to states and says that the National Weather Service, which provides crucial data on hurricanes and other storms, “should be broken up and downsized.” Trump claimed without evidence Monday that the Biden administration and North Carolina’s Democratic governor were “going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas.” And Trump advisor Stephen Miller said President Biden “failed to evacuate or rescue” U.S. citizens, “just like you failed in Afghanistan.” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said officials have rescued and supported more than 1,400 people in areas affected by the storm. Project 2025 calls for refocusing the National Weather Service on “commercial operations,” arguing that it should simply collect data for “private companies such as AccuWeather,” effectively ending public weather forecasting. The document also calls for the next administration to review the work of the National Hurricane Center and says data collected by the center should be presented neutrally, “without adjustments intended to support any one side in the climate debate.” Trump has denied that Project 2025 has anything to do with his campaign or second-term agenda.