- Details
- By Levi Rickert
Opinion. Let’s be honest, lies hurt.
In recent weeks, lies seem to be getting worse along the presidential campaign trail. Just last week, Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump told serious lies in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
In an effort to cast the Biden-Harris administration in a negative way, Trump sought to politicize federal assistance through flagrant lies.
On Monday, he was in Georgia one day after the destructive Hurricane Helene ravaged several southeastern states. While there, the former president told the press of Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp: “He’s been calling the president, hasn’t been able to get him.”
The statement was not true; it was a lie. Kemp had earlier the same day told reporters that he had spoken with President Biden on the day prior–and that he was the one who missed the president’s call and had to call him back.
Kemp said when he talked with Biden, the president said: “Hey, what do you need?” The president responded by saying to the governor if there’s other things needed, to call him directly.
Later on Monday when reporters told President Biden what Trump said, he called Trump a liar.
Not done yet, Trump on Monday in a social media post said of North Carolina: “I’ll be there shortly, but don’t like the reports that I’m getting about the federal government, and the Democrat Governor of the State, going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas.”
None of this was true.
On Thursday, at a campaign rally in Michigan, Trump claimed that “Kamala spent all her FEMA money, billions of dollars, on housing for illegal migrants, many of whom should not be in our country.”
“They stole the FEMA money, just like they stole it from a bank, so they could give it to their illegal immigrants that they want to have vote for them this season,” Trump said.
Additionally, Trump put out another lie that said all of the FEMA had run out of money. He claimed Vice President Kamala Harris spent “all her FEMA money” on providing housing for illegal migrants.
“They stole the FEMA money, just like they stole from a bank, so they could give it to their illegal immigrants that they want to vote for them this season,” Trump added.
To be clear, “illegal” immigrants, a term many Native Americans resist using, cannot vote in elections. State laws prevent non-citizens of the United States from voting.
So, Trump once again was lying.
What Trump and his fellow Republicans are not telling the American public about FEMA funds to house migrants is Congress appropriated $650 million in FY 2024 to fund a program that helps state and local governments to assist those migrants with housing needs and directed US Customs and Border Protection to transfer it to FEMA to administer the program.
It should be noted that these funds are distinctly different from funds appropriated by Congress, not President Biden or Vice President Harris, to FEMA for disaster relief funds for natural catospheres such as Hurricane Helene. For 2024, Congress appropriated $35 billion for disaster funds.
There are two different appropriations made by Congress to FEMA.
The lies spread by the nominee for president of the United States are troubling and should be called out because in the case of the Hurricane Helene aftermath, lives have been destroyed because of the devastation faced by residents of Western North Carolina. People have lost family members, houses and left without their material possessions.
The anti-government rhetoric coming from Donald Trump is appalling and may have caused some in desperate need not to seek help.
Trump’s falsehoods caused the Charlotte Observer to publish the following editorial on Sunday: “Shame on Donald Trump for worsening NC’s Helene tragedy with political lies.”
The lies have gotten so out of hand FEMA created a website to debunk the lies and rumors.
During this highly charged election, Trump's lies have caused chaos and disruption of lives of innocent people. Lies hurt especially when they create chaos, doubt and even cost lives. It is troubling when lies are told to try to win votes. This is simply wrong.
America needs a president who is compassionate and seeks to unify this nation; instead of dividing it.
America deserves better.
Thayék gde nwéndëmen - We are all related.
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