Trump claims Kamala Harris took ‘STAGED’ photo from hurricane briefing that sparked conspiracies on social media: ‘You have to plug the cord into the phone to make it work!’
Donald Trump has mocked Vice President Kamala Harris for “pretending” to be working on Hurricane Helene disaster relief in a photo posted to her social media.
An image posted to Harris’s
The post even mentioned how she worked with the governor of North Carolina to help the state’s recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene killed at least 30 people in the Asheville area.
However, Trump pointed out a glaring problem with the photo.
Vice President Kamala Harris posted this on her official X account on Sunday and many were quick to point out that her headphones appeared to be unplugged
“You have to plug the cord into the phone to make it work!” Writing on his Truth Social app, Trump pointed out that the headphones she is wearing are not connected to her phone on the desk.
‘Another fake and staged photo of someone who has no idea what she is doing.’
The photo of Harris appearing to be hard at work on the phone is captioned: “I was just updated by (FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell) on the latest developments regarding the ongoing impacts of Hurricane Helene. We also discussed our government’s ongoing actions to support relief and recovery efforts.”
“I also spoke with (Governor Roy) Cooper about the ongoing rescue and recovery efforts in North Carolina,” the post continued. “Our government will remain in constant contact with state and local officials to ensure communities have the support and resources they need.”
At least 121 deaths in six states have been blamed on the storm — a toll that rose Monday as a clearer picture emerged of the devastation it wrought in an area stretching from Florida’s Gulf Coast north to Virginia’s Appalachians.
Harris has not yet visited any of the states affected by the tragic and deadly storm.
Trump, on the other hand, went to Valdosta, Georgia, to view the damage done by Helene on Monday afternoon.
Republican presidential candidate, former US President Donald Trump, makes brief statements as he arrives at Valdosta Regional Airport to visit areas affected by Hurricane Helene on September 30, 2024 in Valdosta, Georgia
Trump speaks at the event in Georgia where he toured the damage caused by Helene
Democratic presidential candidate US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, September 29, 2024
He spoke with those affected by the storm and helped distribute supplies to those in attendance.
The former president not only ripped her for the “staged” photo, but also blasted Harris for allowing Americans to drown.
“Biden and Harris have failed Americans in Afghanistan,” Trump’s post continued.
“They sacrificed Americans for an open border, and now they’ve allowed Americans to drown in North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama and elsewhere in the South.”
Online personalities were also quick to highlight questionable aspects of Harris’ photo.
‘Blank paper. Headphones not connected. Everything about Kamala is fake,” TikTok’s Libs account posted.
The House Judiciary Committee Republican’s X account similarly stated, “Her headphones aren’t even connected to the phone.”
‘Things that should be seen: VP logo on coffee cup. Default text on area window. Things you can’t see: Kamala even writes notes while pretending to answer a phone call,” another user wrote.
A meme posted in response to Harris’ photo is captioned “There will never be a more fake duo,” showing Milli Vanilli — a vilified European music group who performed but never sang their songs — stacked on top of a photo of Harris and her running mate Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota captioned “Hold our beers!”
Democratic presidential candidate and US Vice President Kamala Harris departs Las Vegas, Nevada, USA on September 30, 2024
Harris, meanwhile canceled her planned campaign stops for Monday to return to Washington DC for briefings on Helene.
She left Las Vegas in the morning and will be in Washington for a briefing at FEMA on Monday afternoon, according to her campaign.
She said she will also visit devastated areas if doing so will not disrupt relief efforts.
President Joe Biden said Monday he expects to visit areas devastated by Hurricane Helene later this week and emphasized that he was in command even though he was at his beach house this weekend when the storm made landfall.
“I have told the governor of North Carolina that I am going there and I expect to be there on Wednesday or Thursday if it is clear to me,” he told reporters at the White House.
“I am committed to traveling to the affected areas as quickly as possible, but I have been told it would be disruptive if I did so now,” he noted.
The president also reacted defensively when asked how he remained in command while spending the weekend at his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach as the hurricane devastated parts of the South.
‘I was in charge, I was on the phone for at least two hours yesterday, and the day before yesterday too. I gave the order, it’s called a telephone,” he said.
On Monday afternoon, 600 people were still missing as a result of the massive hurricane.