Migrants, FEMA and $750: How Trump and his allies are spreading false claims about Hurricane Helene relief

As the southeastern US braces for yet another hurricane, Trump and his loyalists are busy spreading falsehoods about the federal response to the last one

Donald Trump and his allies have spent the week in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene spreading false claims about the federal response to the devastation — misinformation that officials warn could be dangerous to survivors in need of aid.

As the death toll from Helene’s aftermath surpasses 200 and hundreds of thousands are still without power, the former president and those close to him have spent the week since the storm ripped through the southeastern part of the country spreading falsehoods about the response.

Sunday’s rally in Juneau, Wisconsin was no different. Trump baselessly claimed that as the flood waters were rising, President Joe Biden’s administration “was gone” and that survivors haven’t seen “anybody from the federal government yet.”

Not only have Biden and Kamala Harris have both paid visits to the areas wrecked by the Category 4 storm, there are also nearly 7,000 federal personnel on the ground in the affected region, according to a White House memo.

The Trump campaign, for its part, also partnered with a Christian humanitarian aid organization to supply fuel, food, water, and other resources to Georgia, a swing state.

Perhaps the most pervasive false statement is that the federal government is only providing $750 to disaster survivors.

Donald Trump tours downtown Valdosta, Georgia, a town that was impacted by Hurricane Helene, on September 30. The former president and his allies have been spreading false claims about the federal government’s response to the disaster. (AP)

Trump told a Butler, Pennsylvania crowd on Saturday that the administration is “offering them $750, to people whose homes have been washed away.”

“And yet we send tens of billions of dollars to foreign countries that most people have never heard of,” he said.

Meanwhile, his running mate JD Vance called it “insulting for people who have lost their homes and nearly everything to have somebody swoop in and talk about $750 like that’s a big sum of money.”

This amount has been misconstrued. The White House clarified that survivors will get an initial $750 after applying for Serious Needs Assistance, just one of many federal relief programs. This amount is meant to help cover essential items like food, water, baby formula, and medication. Survivors may qualify for more FEMA financial assistance. So far, the government has already provided more than $137 million in federal assistance to survivors.

Another frequently amplified falsehood revolves around a hot-button election issue: immigrants.

“They stole the FEMA money just like they stole it from a bank,” Trump said last week.

He also baselessly alleged that Harris spent “all of her FEMA” money on “housing for illegal migrants, many of whom should not be in our country.”

This false claim has been spread by ardent Trump supporter and tech billionaire Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest man and the owner of influential social media platform X, which he uses to promote the former president.

“You have migrants being housed in luxury hotels in New York City,” Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump told CNN on Sunday.

There is basis for claims that federal assistance was diverted to support migrants.

Incredibly, Trump did exactly what he now accuses Biden of doing — he redirected $155 million from the disaster fund in 2019 to pay for additional detention facilities and “migrant transportation” resources, according to a Department of Homeland notice first reported by the The Washington Post.

Kamala Harris visits areas impacted by Hurricane Helene in Augusta, Georgia, on October 2. (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The former president has also accused the Biden-Harris administration of “going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas.”

Perhaps there’s no one better suited to dispute this claim than a member of Trump’s own party.

Republican Senator Thom Tillis, whose state of North Carolina was devastated by Helene, praised the federal response during a Friday media briefing.

“For anybody who thinks that any level of government, anybody here could have been prepared precisely for what we’re dealing with here, clearly, are clueless,” he said. “They’re doing a great job.”

Tillis added that he was “impressed with how much attention was paid to a region that wasn’t likely to have experienced the impact that they did.”

He also wrote an email to his constituents condemning the politicization of the recovery efforts. Although he didn’t call out Trump by name, he wrote: “The last thing that the victims of Helene need right now is political posturing, finger-pointing, or conspiracy theories that only hurt the response effort.”

Trump’s own allies also aren’t committing to returning to Congress to approve more disaster aid while criticizing the Biden administration for allegedly not delivering any. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday did not commit to calling Congress back into session before Election Day after Biden warned lawmakers about potential funding shortfalls.

Officials and others are warning that misinformation could have severe impacts on those who need assistance — especially those in the areas that could be ravaged by yet another hurricane this week.

“You know, it’s really a shame that we’re putting politics ahead of helping people, and that’s what we’re here to do,” FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell said on ABC’s This Week on Sunday.

“It’s also demoralizing to all of the first responders that have been out there in their communities helping people,” he added.

National Guard members organize donations to be distributed to survivors following the passing of Hurricane Helene in Hendersonville, North Carolina, on October 6. (REUTERS)

White House officials have also warned about the dangers of these false claims.

“A number of scam artists, bad-faith actors, and others who want to sow chaos because they think it helps their political interests are promoting disinformation about the recovery effort, including ways to access critical and live-saving resources,” according to a statement from communications director Ben LaBolt and director of digital strategy Christian Tom.

“This is wrong, dangerous, and it must stop immediately,” they wrote.

The editorial board for the second-largest newspaper in North Carolina have also taken issue with the conspiracy theories floated by Trump and his loyalists.

“This is not a situation to capitalize on for political gain. But former President Donald Trump has politicized the situation at every turn, spreading falsehoods and conspiracies that fracture the community instead of bringing it together,” the board wrote.

“There’s no evidence to support any of those ridiculous claims,” the board continued. “And by every indication, state and federal agencies have been working to help people in need.”