New digital ad from Harris attacks Trump’s handling of natural disaster relief

CNN
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Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is launching a new digital ad campaign featuring two former Donald Trump administration officials criticizing the former president’s handling of natural disasters during his time in office.

The ad, titled “Withhold,” first obtained by CNN, is a response to Trump’s recent attacks on the federal response to Hurricane Helene, including his false claims that Harris used “all of her FEMA money” for shelter. illegal migrants” and unfounded allegations that the Biden administration and Democratic leaders have failed certain Republican communities in North Carolina out of partisan bias. The new ad comes as Category 5 Hurricane Milton is set to hit Florida on Wednesday.

Olivia Troye, who served as an adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence, and Kevin Carroll, a former Trump Homeland Security official, allege in the ad that Trump, as president, suggested withholding disaster relief funds from Democratic states.

“He would propose not to provide disaster relief to states that did not vote for him,” Carroll says in the ad.

Troye says, “I remember once after a forest fire in California he didn’t send help because it was a Democratic state. So we even found out how many votes he received in the affected areas to show him, ‘These are people who voted for you.’ That’s not normal.”

Both Carroll and Troye say in the ad that they plan to vote for Harris. Troye previously supported Harris and gave a speech during the Democratic National Convention in which she sharply criticized Trump.

The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

The new ad campaign comes after Politico’s E&E News published a review of Trump’s record last week that said Trump “at times responded to disasters in a blatantly partisan manner and, on at least three occasions, hesitated to provide disaster relief to areas he considered.” politically hostile or.” ordered special treatment for pro-Trump states.”

The story cited interviews with Troye and Mark Harvey, Trump’s senior director for resilience policy on the National Security Council. Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told CNN at the time: “None of this is true and nothing more than a made-up story from someone’s insane imagination.”

The Biden administration has faced scrutiny in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which devastated parts of North Carolina and Georgia, with Trump and his campaign escalating their attacks on Harris in recent days over what they said was an inadequate response to recovery efforts. They claimed the vice president was more focused on her presidential campaign than on helping Americans in need after the hurricane’s devastation.

Both Trump and Harris visited Georgia and North Carolina in recent days and were briefed by local officials there.

Harris addressed Trump’s criticism, telling reporters on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews on Monday: “The former president is spreading a lot of misinformation and disinformation about what is available, particularly to survivors of.” [Hurricane] Helene. And first of all, it’s extraordinarily irresponsible, it’s about him, not you.”

Harris also responded to reports about Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis not returning her calls. (He said he was unaware of the vice president’s efforts.)

“People desperately need support now and playing political games at this moment, in these crisis situations – this is the height of emergencies – is just completely irresponsible and selfish, and it’s more about political gamesmanship.” “Do the work “That you swore an oath to do, which was to put people first,” the vice president said Monday.

The ad is part of the Harris-Walz campaign’s $370 million reservation for digital and television advertising between Labor Day and Election Day, the Harris campaign told CNN. The spot will be broadcast on digital and social media in the battleground states starting Thursday evening.