Trump and Harris Face Hurricanes and the Election

Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris found themselves facing the aftermath of the destructive Hurricane Helen, using it as an opportunity to campaign and attract voters with less than five weeks until the election. This came after what was likely the first and only debate between their respective vice-presidential candidates, Republican Senator J.D. Vance and Democratic Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota. While Harris returned to Washington to deal with the hurricane’s fallout, Trump chose to campaign in the swing states hit by storms, trying to capitalize politically ahead of the November 5 election. Trump was in Georgia, a key battleground state, where he criticized “Sleepy Joe” Biden, accusing him of being inactive, while lambasting Harris for “being somewhere campaigning and fundraising” a day before the hurricane struck. In contrast, Harris cut short her tour of California, Arizona, and Nevada to return to Washington, promising to be “on the ground as soon as possible.”