Angry Joe Biden rips 'lying' Trump for criticizing his Hurricane Helene response and defends spending weekend at the beach

A indignant President Joe Biden blasted Donald Trump for claiming helium was giving the stiff-arm to Georgia Governor Brian Kemp implicit hurricane alleviation Monday and accused his rival of lying.

He deed backmost amid the ultra high-stakes clash implicit tempest recovery, with Trump jetting to Georgia and claiming Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were mismanaging the crisis. He adjacent said Biden was blowing disconnected a cardinal fig successful the response, Kemp – an occasional Trump professional who is supporting his campaign. 

'He's been calling the president, helium hasn't been capable to get him,' Trump claimed connected a travel to Valdosta, Georgia.

That remark was straight contradicted by Kemp's ain comments Monday astir his speech with Biden Sunday, and Biden teed disconnected connected his rival erstwhile helium got asked astir it. 

'He's lying, and the politician told him helium was lying. The politician told him he's lying. I've spoken to the governor, spent clip with him, and helium told him he's lying. I don't cognize wherefore helium does it … that's simply not true, and it's irresponsible,' Biden said. 

He besides defended his determination to walk astir of the play successful Delaware adjacent arsenic the wrath of the tempest was unfolding.

'Come on. Stop with the crippled volition you,' helium fumed astatine a newsman who asked astir it. He said wherever helium lived 'it’s '90 miles from here, okay. And I was connected the telephone the full time,' Biden said.

He besides defended the positioning of resources earlier the storm, which had impacts acold beyond Florida wherever it made landfall. 'It's hard to get it signifier Point A to Point B,' helium said, mentioning impassable roads and different challenges. 'If I dependable frustrated, I am,' helium said.

Biden had besides defended the travel earlier successful the time erstwhile helium got asked 'Why weren’t you and Vice President Harris present successful Washington commanding this this weekend?' 

'I was commanding it. I was connected the telephone for astatine slightest 2 hours yesterday and the time earlier arsenic well. I commanded it,' helium said, earlier snapping: 'It’s called a telephone.'

Trump levelled the accusation portion getting the leap connected a sojourn to circuit hurricane damage, with 2 politically important states – Georgia and North Carolina – getting hammered by the tempest with the decease number mounting and monolithic damage.

'The president conscionable called maine yesterday afternoon. I missed him and I called him close back,' Kemp said. 'And helium conscionable said, "Hey, what bash you need?"' 

Biden had earlier taken a preventive changeable by saying helium didn't privation to bash thing to disrupt betterment efforts, and the White House spoke to the ample 'footprint' the president brings connected specified a visit. Trump besides brings a phalanx of information with him erstwhile helium travels.

'I besides privation you to cognize I'm committed to traveling to impacted areas arsenic soon arsenic possible. But, I've been told that it'd beryllium disruptive if I did it close now, we volition not bash that astatine the hazard of diverting oregon delaying any, immoderate of the effect assets needed to woody with this crisis,' Biden said Monday morning. 'My archetypal work is to get each the assistance needed to those impacted areas.'

By the evening, Biden announced that helium would spell to North Carolina Wednesday. 

Harris, meanwhile, flew backmost to Washington from a West Coast plaything Monday, cancelling immoderate scheduled run events and attending a FEMA briefing. 

Trump, a New York transplant who present lives successful Florida, is good versed successful the agelong enactment of politicians who person seen an predetermination play tempest reshuffle a race.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's clasp of Barack Obama aft Hurricane Sandy is wide seen arsenic giving a boost to the Democrat's reelection. Former New York Mayor John Lindsay mislaid a Republican superior pursuing a wintertime snowstorm. And George W. Bush's popularity tanked aft Hurricane Katrina successful 2005.