Biden, Harris visit storm-hit North Carolina, Georgia
President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took separate tours of the south to view the catastrophic damage from Hurricane Helene


What happened
President Joe Biden took an aerial tour over Asheville, North Carolina, Wednesday to view the devastation from Hurricane Helene. He also ordered the Pentagon to deploy 1,000 active-duty troops to help deliver food, water and other services, joining thousands of federal emergency personnel and National Guard members working in areas hit by the storm. Vice President Kamala Harris took a separate trip to Augusta, Georgia.
Who said what
"The president and I have been paying close attention from the beginning to what we need to do to make sure the federal resources hit the ground as quickly as possible," Harris said in Augusta. "We are here for the long haul." She said the federal government would cover 100% of debris removal and other emergency measures for three months. Harris also handed out food at a community center and toured the local emergency operations center, telling first responders, "I'm here to thank you and to listen."
The vice president's Georgia trip, where she tested out the "role of consoler-in-chief," offered a "stark contrast to the overtly political posture Donald Trump took" during his visit to the state on Monday, Politico said. But "Trump's knack for politicking off disasters has proved a vulnerability for the Biden administration" in the past, The New York Times said, pointing to Trump's 2023 visit to East Palestine, Ohio, after a toxic train derailment.
What next?
Biden is scheduled to visit "impacted communities" in Georgia and Florida today, the White House said. Harris is putting back on her campaign hat to visit Wisconsin today and Michigan on Friday, though she is "later set to travel to North Carolina to assess storm damage," the Times said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
-
July 12 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include generational ennui, tariffs on Canada, and a conspiracy rabbit hole
-
5 unusually elusive cartoons about the Epstein files
Cartoons Artists take on Pam Bondi's vanishing desk, the Mar-a-Lago bathrooms, and more
-
Lemon and courgette carbonara recipe
The Week Recommends Zingy and fresh, this pasta is a summer treat
-
Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs
Speed Read The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl
-
Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention
Speed Read This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
'It's America that refuses to listen and learn'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day