During a rally in North Carolina on Saturday, Donald Trump once again spread false conspiracy theories about FEMA's response to Hurricane Helene.
The former president claimed in front of a crowd in Gastonia that the federal government used funds to support immigrants instead of providing disaster relief.
“FEMA has let you down because they wanted to spend the money on illegal migrants instead,” Trump said.
A FEMA fact check in October confirmed that disaster funds can not be used for other purposes, but that hasn't slowed Trump's repetition of the fabricated gripe.
Trump has repeatedly criticized President Joe Biden's response to the deadly storm by invoking debunked claims about the federal response to the storm. The Biden administration has approved more than $2 billion in assistance for Helene-impacted communities since the storm made landfall.
“You’ve been through a lot. Your government has not helped you too much, I can tell you,” Trump said.
The unfounded conspiracy theories shared by Trump have had real-world consequences, with threats of violence against aid workers temporarily halting some operations. Trump’s misinformation campaign has made relief efforts more costly and difficult, encouraging some people impacted by the storm to reject assistance.
Trump while in office frequently weighed denying disaster relief to his political adversaries and Democratic strongholds.
