'He Doesn't Know Anything': Donald Trump Faces Backlash After Falsely Claiming 'Nobody Thought' a Hurricane Would Hit Despite It Being Storm Season
Donald Trump appeared surprised that Hurricane Helene hit Florida despite it being in the middle of hurricane season.
On Monday, September 30, while speaking at a Georgia campaign rally, Trump spoke on the utter "devastation" caused by the storm across multiple states.
"It’s so extensive, nobody thought this would be happening," he claimed. "Especially now it’s so late in the season for the hurricanes."
However, according to reports from the Florida Climate Center at Florida State University, hurricane season on the Atlantic coast runs from the beginning of June until the end of November with the peak occurring between August and late October.
Following the controversial comments, Trump critics on social media slammed the former president for making the obvious error.
One X user wrote, "Hurricane season won't be over for almost 2 months. What a dunce," and another added, "I swear I lose brain cells listening to this man."
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A third person chimed in, "This is peak hurricane season [right now], it's supposed to get worse in October btw. He doesn't know anything. This is the guy who wants the highest position in the world? Pack him up, please."
Another user wrote, "He can’t even be honest during a disaster affecting millions of Americans who’ve already lost so much."
A final critic quipped, "You would think someone who lives in Florida full-time would know when peak hurricane season is, but maybe I’m asking too much of him."
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Hurricane Helene has affected several states, including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee and Virginia. The death toll was reported as over 130 as of Monday, September 30, per AP News, with hundreds of people still unaccounted for as rescue and clean-up efforts continue.
During a recent White House briefing, Liz Sherwood-Randall, the White House Homeland Security Adviser, suggested there could "be as many as 600 lost lives" due to damage caused by the major storm.
President Joe Biden said he would "continue to surge resources, including food, water, communications and life saving equipment" to the affected areas. He added, "We will be there with you as long as it takes."