Help vs. lies: Hurricane relief is a microcosm of the election stakes

As is often the case with Trump, his lies carry the whiff of projection. As CNN reported: “Trump is actually accusing the Biden administration of an act very similar to something he did as president. In 2019, Trump’s administration moved $155 million meant for FEMA disaster relief to support immigration enforcement.”

Tragically, the consequences of Trump’s lies fall on the victims of the hurricanes and on immigrants, whom Trump falsely accused of receiving funds needed by those who have lost homes and businesses. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, appearing on ABC’s “This Week,” warned that the disinformation is “demoralizing to all of the first responders that have been out there in their communities helping people.” Criswell went on, “We’ve had the local officials helping to push back on this … truly dangerous narrative that is creating this fear of trying to reach out and help us or to register for help.” In the midst of its herculean effort, FEMA has had to expend time and resources on a “Hurricane Rumor Response” operation.

Meanwhile, Republican governors continue to praise the federal agency’s effort. Brian Kemp of Georgia, Glenn Youngkin of Virginia and Bill Lee of Tennessee have all lauded FEMA’s responsiveness. And, in anticipation of the Category 4 storm Milton, even MAGA Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had to concede, “Everything that we’ve asked for, the administration has approved.”

Trump’s baseless attacks on professional public servants are a sign of his contempt for fact-based, functional government. It should not be lost on anyone that Project 2025 lays out a plan to fire as many as 50,000 civil servants and replace them with his cronies. If you want chaos, imagine the likes of Stephen K. Bannon, Stephen Miller and their minions deciding which Americans get disaster relief. Without professional, permanent staff to remain loyal to the mission of the agency, everything will boil down to who kisses the president’s ring.

It does not take much imagination to contemplate how, in a second Trump term, we would be inundated with false weather reports and claims about the climate change “hoax.” The problem of extreme weather would grow more daunting if government data were to become unreliable.

We already know Trump is more than willing to politicize the distribution of aid. That has been his response time and again when confronted with natural disasters. “As California battled the deadliest wildfire in its history in 2018, Donald J. Trump … initially opposed unlocking federal funding for the state,” the New York Times recalled. “But Mr. Trump shifted his position after his advisers found data showing that large numbers of his supporters were being affected by the infernos, said the officials, who have both endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris in this year’s presidential election.”

Trump’s behavior should be disqualifying for any presidential candidate, and echoing his lies or remaining silent in the face of his destructive disinformation should be similarly so for his Republican apologists. It is, however, unsurprising that he would double and triple down on inflammatory rhetoric for his base rather than try to make any inroads with other voters. Ignoring the chance to boost himself in the eyes of those outside of the MAGA cult, he has drawn damning headlines and given Harris an opportunity to appear presidential.

“There’s a lot of mis- and disinformation being pushed out there by the former president about what is available, particularly to the survivors of Helene,” Harris told reporters on Monday. “It’s extraordinarily irresponsible. It’s about him. It’s not about you.” She emphasized that “FEMA has so many resources that are available to folks who desperately need them now.”

The contrast between Trump and the current administration’s all-hands-on-deck response, including multiple visits from President Joe Biden to reassure victims, could not be more stark. (Harris has also made repeated visits to affected areas and reached out to boost the morale of FEMA workers.) The choice for voters boils down to competent and compassionate government, on one hand, or a return to a presidency characterized by nonstop demonization and disarray. Trump simply is not capable of serious or compassionate leadership — or even faking it. (One cannot help but recall his presidential visit after Hurricane Maria to Puerto Rico where he lobbed rolls of paper towels at the crowd.)

Whether it is spreading disinformation about Haitian immigrants, hurricane relief or covid-19, Trump’s lies serve to bolster his own ego (he alone can fix things!), undermine faith in democratic government, foment resentment against marginal groups and enrage his cult. This has been the conduct of right-wing authoritarians throughout history. The real disaster would be allowing such a figure to regain office and wield the power of the federal government against his enemies and the most vulnerable Americans.