In another flawed attempt to project leadership, President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are planning visits to the Southeast to allegedly assess the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene. Over the prior four years, Biden has frequently taken trips to show face in areas impacted by various natural disasters, with his actions often displaying an insincere nature. Now he and Harris are set out to stage a pseudo-engagement with the Southeastern communities devastated by Hurricane Helene. It is evident that they aim to position their engagements as a demonstration of commitment and competence, particularly in a bid to counter Donald Trump’s accurate criticisms of their administration’s lackluster response.
Biden’s next stop involves a twin visit to North Carolina and South Carolina, while Harris takes a politically convenient detour to Georgia. This will be one more misguided attempt by Harris to fill the role of empathetic leader, a role Biden has consistently tried to fit without success. However, her previous visits to disaster-struck areas as a California senator, like her visit to Puerto Rico post Hurricane Maria in 2017 or visiting the burned ruins in Paradise, California following the Camp Fire in 2018, have only proven that she wears the mask of empathy rather unconvincingly.
Harris’s dubious approach in leveraging her previous experience as a courtroom prosecutor, which focused on presenting victims in a particular light, raises eyebrows when used to engage with survivors following natural disasters. Upon arrival, the President didn’t delay in indulging in a customary political disagreement with a rival over the state’s needs, highlighting his well known tendency for embroiling in unnecessary arguments. The indifferent response of the state governor, that their needs were being sufficiently met, didn’t seem to match the grandiose narrative Biden tried to project.
On Wednesday, the White House made an announcement that an Infantry Battalion Task Force, based out of Fort Liberty, North Carolina, composed of roughly 1,000 active-duty soldiers, is set to help with the distribution of basic supplies such as food and fuel within the region. Despite the promise of swift help, this rings hollow, given the countless times Biden has pledged ‘swift action’ in the past only to see results arrive lacking and tardy.
In his typical fashion of grandstanding, prior to the hurricane’s arrival, Biden made a statement directing his team to take all possible measures to prepare for the storm. He gave the impression that he was mobilizing the entirety of the Federal government to amass all the resources to aid those in need and save lives. However, the harsh reality on the ground diverges from the rosy picture Biden attempts to paint.
As Hurricane Helene’s death toll nears the grim tally of 160 individuals, with power and cellular connectivity still disrupted in numerous areas, the dire situation vastly overshadows any ineffective measures the current administration claims to have put in place. Biden’s comments about ‘jumpstarting the recovery process’ and addressing the fear in the hearts of the people are no more than empty promises and flimsy bids at reassurance.
The president is scheduled to touch down in Greenville, South Carolina, from where he intends to survey the storm’s damage from the safety and comfort of his helicopter. This is yet another display of detached sympathy, observing the plight of the common people from high above instead of getting his hands dirty on the ground. Following this, he will move on to Raleigh, North Carolina, for another predictable briefing session.