Political storm: Back-to-back hurricanes rock Harris-Trump presidential campaign

President Biden, making calls with elected officials successful Florida connected Wednesday evening, arsenic almighty and highly unsafe Hurricane Milton crashed into the state.

And the president besides speaking with Democratic and Republican senators from the states hard deed by Hurricane Helene, which tore a way of demolition done the southeast astir 2 weeks ago.

"I directed my squad to bash everything we tin to prevention lives and assistance communities before, during, and aft the hurricane -- the 1 that has conscionable passed and this atrocious 1 that’s astir to hit," Biden said astatine the extremity of a agelong time overseeing the national effect to the storms.
 
And the president stressed that "my astir important connection contiguous is for those who are successful impacted areas, please, delight perceive to your section authorities, travel each safety…instructions and evacuation orders. This is serious, precise serious."

BIDEN CANCELS OVERSEAS TRIP AS MILTON BEARS DOWN ON FLORIDA

President Joe Biden delivers remarks connected the national government's effect to Hurricane Helene and preparations for Hurricane Milton successful the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024, successful Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

With little than 4 weeks to spell until Election Day successful November and Vice President Kamala Harris and erstwhile President Trump locked successful a constrictive margin-of-error showdown successful the contention to win Biden successful the White House, and with 2 of the hardest-hit states from Helene — North Carolina and Georgia — among the 7 cardinal battlegrounds that volition apt find the result of the 2024 election, the authorities of national catastrophe alleviation are again beforehand and halfway connected the run trail.

Trump for astir 2 weeks has repeatedly attacked Biden and Harris and accused them of being incompetent successful steering the national efforts successful responding to the back-to-back deadly hurricanes.

EYE OF THE STORM: BACK-TO-BACK HURRICANES IMPACT HARRIS-TRUMP PRESIDENTIAL RACE

"The worst hurricane effect since Katrina," the erstwhile president charged connected Wednesday arsenic helium pointed to the much-maligned archetypal national effect to Hurricane Katrina successful 2005, which was heavy criticized for being dilatory and ineffective.

Trump, speaking astatine a run rally successful battleground Pennsylvania, lobbed different governmental weaponry astatine Harris, arguing that "She conscionable led the worst rescue cognition successful past successful North Carolina…the worst ever, they say."

Republican statesmanlike nominee erstwhile President Donald Trump speaks astatine a run rally astatine Riverfront Sports, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, successful Scranton, Pa. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

And the erstwhile president erstwhile again made mendacious claims that FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) diverted wealth intended for catastrophe alleviation and spent it connected undocumented migrants successful the U.S. arsenic helium turned up the measurement connected his inflammatory rhetoric implicit the combustible contented of amerciable immigration.

"You cognize wherever they gave the wealth to: amerciable immigrants coming," Trump said arsenic the assemblage of MAGA supporters loudly booed.

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A mates of hours earlier, arsenic the president and vice president received their latest briefing from FEMA and different national agencies connected tempest preparations successful Florida and alleviation efforts crossed the Southeast, Biden said that "we person made disposable an unprecedented fig of assets to woody with this crisis, and we’re going to proceed to bash truthful until the occupation is done."

Biden besides took purpose astatine Trump, accusing him of starring an "onslaught of lies."

The president charged that the rhetoric from Trump and different Republicans was "beyond ridiculous" and that "it’s got to stop."

Harris, who successful July replaced Biden atop the Democrats' 2024 ticket, had a akin connection during an interrogation Wednesday connected the Weather Channel.

"This is not a clip for america to conscionable constituent fingers astatine each different arsenic Americans," Harris said. "Anybody who considers themselves to beryllium a person should truly beryllium successful the concern close present of giving radical a consciousness of assurance that we're each moving unneurotic and that we person the resources and the quality to enactment unneurotic connected their behalf."

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS WEATHER UPDATES ON HURRICANE MILTON

But earlier this week, Harris and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida traded verbal occurrence implicit whether helium ignored hurricane-related calls from her.

Democratic statesmanlike nominee Vice President Kamala Harris greets radical who were impacted by Hurricane Helene successful Augusta, Ga., Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, arsenic Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson watches astatine right. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The vice president called DeSantis "selfish," and the politician accused Harris of playing "political games."

"Natural disasters contiguous perils and committedness for statesmanlike hopefuls," longtime Republican strategist Colin Reed, a seasoned of aggregate GOP statesmanlike campaigns, told Fox News.

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Reed noted that "for the incumbent, it’s an accidental to show competence and dependable enactment and beryllium that their authorities is capable to relation astatine a halfway level during a clip of peril."

Brandon Marlow walks done surge waters flooding the thoroughfare aft Hurricane Milton came ashore successful the Sarasota country connected October 09, 2024, successful Fort Myers, Florida. People are waiting to measure the harm aft the Cat 3 hurricane came ashore.  (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

But it doesn't ever play according to the publication for an incumbent president.

Then-President George H.W. Bush took a governmental deed implicit FEMA's disorganized efforts to supply alleviation successful Florida from Hurricane Andrew, which pounded the then-key battleground authorities weeks earlier the 1992 election.

Fast-forward a decennary and his lad - then-President George W. Bush - enjoyed a governmental bounce successful Florida during his 2004 re-election acknowledgment to his assertive effect to Hurricane Charley, which deed successful August of that year.

Bush was narrowly re-elected, acknowledgment successful ample portion to carrying the Sunshine State, but his administration's representation successful handling storms took a large deed the adjacent year, implicit the botched effect successful Louisiana to Hurricane Katrina.

As helium ran for re-election successful 2012, then-President Barack Obama's assertive effect successful dealing with Superstorm Sandy -which slammed into the Eastern Seaboard days earlier the predetermination - apt boosted him to victory.

Reed argued that "without a existent relation to play successful the effect to Helene and present Milton, Vice President Harris is betwixt and between, wary astir being seen arsenic excessively adjacent to a profoundly unpopular medication but besides good alert that its failures volition beryllium seen arsenic her failures and governmental baggage to transportation the adjacent 3 weeks."

Get the latest updates from the 2024 run trail, exclusive interviews and much astatine our Fox News Digital predetermination hub.