Now that former President Donald Trump has made a series of statements regarding the federal response to Hurricane Helene, elements of the Regime Media have found their angle with which to cover the recovery. The real scandal is not the slowness of response or hurricane emergency funding shortfall, but Trump’s statements. The story of Hurricane Helene recovery is in the process of being Trumpwashed.
This should come as a surprise to no one. I predicted as much last week, when Trump issued his first statement on the response:
Money in the bank prediction: Now that there’s a Trump statement, the Regime Media will cover the FEMA shortfall crisis. HOWEVER: the angle will be some combo of “Trump politicizes Helene recovery” and/or “Trump attacks migrants”. The Trump statement will be the reported scandal,… pic.twitter.com/S2Qv5MO5he
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) October 3, 2024
It took about a week, but the Regime Media have stepped up and made Trump’s statements the real scandal. Consider how ABC World News Tonight covered a single sentence where Trump quotes someone else, and makes that into the scandal:
DAVID MUIR: Tonight, with Hurricane Milton now fast approaching just days after Hurricane Helene slammed into the U.S., former President Trump targeting FEMA again today, just as millions try to recover from this. Vice President Kamala Harris blasting Trump for spreading dangerous misinformation. And what she said about this today. Here's Rachel Scott.
RACHEL SCOTT: Tonight, with Florida bracing for a monster storm, as Georgia and North Carolina reel from the effects of the last one, Vice President Kamala Harris blasting Donald Trump for spreading falsehoods about FEMA, which has been on the ground for days. Harris appearing today on ABC's The View.
ANA NAVARRO: What do you think the effect of these lies are, and why is he doing this?
KAMALA HARRIS: It's profound, and it is the height of irresponsibility, and, frankly, callousness. I fear that he really lacks empathy. On a very basic level. To care about the suffering of other people, and then understand the role of a leader is- is not to beat people down, it's to lift people up. Especially in a time of crisis.
SCOTT: But today, Trump again talking about FEMA.
DONALD TRUMP: They said that there was just no FEMA. You virtually don't see anybody from FEMA.
That single sentence from Trump took over a minute to frame as “dangerous misinformation.” But the fact is that there were and remain many individuals with grave concerns over the early response to Helene. There is still an indeterminate number of bodies to be recovered from the muck and water. And there is zero doubt that, were a Republican president today, the Regime Media would be covering these response deficiencies onsite.
NBC firefought a different statement:
DONALD TRUMP: For one thing, a billion dollars was stolen from FEMA to use it for illegal migrants.
GABE GUTIERREZ: That's not true. FEMA has distributed more than a billion dollars to shelter migrants, but the agency says that's from a separate government program, not disaster relief. Trump also falsely claims residents are only being offered $750, even though they can qualify for more.
Gabe Gutierrez’s firefighting notwithstanding, any reasonable individual can look both at the hurricane fund shortfall and the money spent on the Shelter Services Program, and come to the same conclusion that many of us did, including Trump.
Here, again, the purpose of this story is to forward a narrative of competence, which would be untruthful. And, as I foretold, Trump’s statements are the story of Helene recovery, instead of the people. Helene recovery got Trumpwashed.
Click “expand” to view the full transcripts of the aforementioned reports as aired on their respective network evening newscasts on Tuesday, October 8th, 2024:
ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT
10/8/24
6:40 PM
DAVID MUIR: Tonight, with Hurricane Milton now fast approaching just days after Hurricane Helene slammed into the U.S., former President Trump targeting FEMA again today, just as millions try to recover from this. Vice President Kamala Harris blasting Trump for spreading dangerous misinformation. And what she said about this today. Here's Rachel Scott.
RACHEL SCOTT: Tonight, with Florida bracing for a monster storm, as Georgia and North Carolina reel from the effects of the last one, Vice President Kamala Harris blasting Donald Trump for spreading falsehoods about FEMA, which has been on the ground for days. Harris appearing today on ABC's The View.
ANA NAVARRO: What do you think the effect of these lies are, and why is he doing this?
KAMALA HARRIS: It's profound, and it is the height of irresponsibility, and, frankly, callousness. I fear that he really lacks empathy. On a very basic level. To care about the suffering of other people, and then understand the role of a leader is- is not to beat people down, it's to lift people up. Especially in a time of crisis.
SCOTT: But today, Trump again talking about FEMA.
DONALD TRUMP: They said that there was just no FEMA. You virtually don't see anybody from FEMA.
SCOTT: But our team has been on the ground in the storm zone for days, personally witnessing the efforts of FEMA and the National Guard. Homeowners who have told us FEMA has been there to help them. Today, President Biden accusing Trump of misleading people and creating panic.
JOE BIDEN: This is going to sound, and to use an old phrase: un-American. It really is. People are scared to death. People know their lives are at stake. All that they work for, all they own, all that they value.
SCOTT: David, four weeks to go and this race is still locked in a dead heat, but a New York Times-Siena poll out tonight is showing some movement. Vice President Kamala Harris holding a slight lead over Donald Trump at 49%. The former president at 46%. Also notable tonight, it's the first time this poll has shown more voters view Harris as the candidate representing change, 46% to 44% for Donald Trump, David.
MUIR: Rachel Scott. Always good to have you in person here at the desk. Thanks, Rachel.
NBC NIGHTLY NEWS
10/8/24
6:51 PM
LESTER HOLT: Back now with a growing political storm over the federal hurricane response with The White House trying to fight what it calls rampant misinformation. Gabe Gutierrez reports, and asks the head of FEMA about their response.
GABE GUTIERREZ: Tonight, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and with Hurricane Milton barreling towards Florida, President Biden is calling misinformation about the federal response un-American.
JOE BIDEN: It puts people in circumstances where they panic, where they really, really, really worry and think they're not being taken care of.
GUTIERREZ: Former President Trump and some of his allies keep spreading false claims.
DONALD TRUMP: For one thing, a billion dollars was stolen from FEMA to use it for illegal migrants.
GUTIERREZ: That's not true. FEMA has distributed more than a billion dollars to shelter migrants, but the agency says that's from a separate government program, not disaster relief. Trump also falsely claims residents are only being offered $750, even though they can qualify for more.
KAMALA HARRIS: He really lacks empathy on a very basic level to care about the suffering of other people.
GUTIERREZ: On social media, even more outlandish conspiracy theories are exploding, from false claims of FEMA stealing money from donations to the government controlling the weather from Antarctica.
DEANNE CRISWELL: The amount of misinformation just continues to grow unnecessarily, and it's just really creating an interference for us to be able to do the job that we need to do.
It prevents them from actually coming in and asking for help.
GUTIERREZ: But we also pressed the FEMA administrator about criticism of the federal response.
THOM TILLIS: The administration was slow to get started. We're only beginning to see that mobilize about a week too late.
GUTIERREZ: Including from Helene survivors.
HELENE SURVIVOR: I hear them say on the radio that FEMA is here, but I haven't seen them.
GUTIERREZ: What do you say to people like her?
CRISWELL: I think the best thing I would say to this is, just because you don't see a person wearing a FEMA shirt does not mean that we're not here.
GUTIERREZ: In Florida, there’s another political storm brewing between Governor Ron Desantis and Vice President Kamala Harris. A source familiar with the situation tells NBC News he’s refused to take her calls.
HARRIS: It is utterly irresponsible and it is selfish.
GUTIERREZ: Overnight, Desantis fired back saying he did not know she called, adding he’s spoken with President Biden and Harris has no role in the process.
RON DESANTIS: She’s the first one who is trying to politicize the storm, and she’s doing that just because of her campaign.
GUTIERREZ: Meanwhile, a White House official tells us they're preparing to fight misinformation ahead of this latest storm, calling the false rumors the worst they’ve seen. Lester.
HOLT: All right. Gabe Gutierrez, thank you.
