Biden condemns ‘un-American’ ‘lies’ about federal storm response as Hurricane Milton nears Florida

WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) —

President Joe Biden on Wednesday blasted his predecessor for spreading an “onslaught of lies” about how the federal government is handling the damage from Hurricane Helene as another hurricane, Milton, was on the verge of making landfall in Florida.

“Quite frankly, these lies are un-American,” Biden said from the White House. “Former President Trump has led this onslaught of lies.”

Biden said that Donald Trump and his allies have misrepresented the response and resources of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The president singled out Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia who claimed the federal government could control the weather.

Asked why he believed his Republican opponents were not talking accurately about the government’s response, Biden said, “I don’t know. I simply don’t know. … I use a phrase more than I did in my whole career, un-American. It’s un-American. It’s not who in the hell we are.”

The president talked about the potential damage from Hurricane Milton and encouraged people near its path to seek shelter. Biden said the government had staged 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water in anticipation of the storm and that military units were ready with search and rescue teams to help victims of it.

“We’ve got your back,” Biden said, then referring to Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced him in July at the top of the presidential ticket: “Kamala and I will be there for as long as it takes to rescue, recover and rebuild.”

Bristling at misinformation is something Biden and Harris have done a lot of lately, including earlier Wednesday during a virtual briefing at the White House on federal preparations for Milton. The president had even harsher words for Greene then, saying her comments on the weather were “beyond ridiculous.”

“It’s gotta stop,” Biden said, adding that such assertions were “off the wall” and “like out of a comic book.”

Still, most of his criticism has been directed at Trump. At rallies for November’s presidential election, the former president has sought to energize his voters by criticizing how Biden and Harris have handled the response to the severe weather.

At a recent rally in Wisconsin, Trump said it was worse than the government’s response in 2005 to Hurricane Katrina, which resulted in 1,392 fatalities. By contrast, Hurricane Helene has resulted in roughly 230 deaths.

“This is the worst response to a storm or a catastrophe or a hurricane that we’ve ever seen, ever,” Trump said. “Probably worse than Katrina, and that’s hard to beat, right?”