Economist Paul Krugman: Trump’s hurricane lies reflect his 'vision of America as hellscape'

Two of North Carolina's largest newspapers — The Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer — collaborated on an op-ed published Sunday, publicly condemning Donald Trump's response to Hurricane Helene.

"The White House warned Friday that the falsehoods could keep hurricane victims from seeking the assistance they critically need, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency launched an anti-rumor tool that counters Trump’s claims."

Correspondent Scott MacFarlane, on the ground during Trump’s visit, described the scene as “a whole sea of bricks and debris.”

“They put up a podium and a loudspeaker system,” MacFarlane reported. “All these tractor trailers you see behind me, these were used to help secure the event, and Secret Service to help protect the former President as he spoke in the open air, in public. We spoke to a number of the folks who live here about this visit, this campaign visit, even as police are trying to help this community respond, they had to help build quite a perimeter here. Took manpower. It took time. It took first responders to help secure this space.”

Describing the citizenry’s response as “ambivalence,” MacFarlane says in Valdosta, the “presidential campaign visit didn’t register so much with so many people here.”

According to Newsweek, now the Tar Heel State's top newspapers are smacking down the former president's comments.

"There's no evidence to support any of those ridiculous claims," the joint editorial board wrote.

"And by every indication, state and federal agencies have been working to help people in need...the people of North Carolina have not been left out to dry. Their government has not abandoned them."

The editors emphasized, "Trump's claims are as hypocritical as they are harmful. Let's be clear: Western North Carolina is not a political football. This is not a campaign opportunity. The most unhelpful thing any politician—or anyone else—can do right now is spread misinformation and tell people that their government isn't doing anything to help them. Sowing the seeds of political division is always an unnecessary and tiresome endeavor. But doing so in times of great need, when unity is paramount, is particularly shameful."

Governors of affected states have praised President Joe Biden's swift response to the hurricane and his freeing up of billions of dollars in emergency relief funds. Republican Governors Brian Kemp of Georgia, Bill Lee of Tennessee and Henry McMaster of South Carolina have all publicly expressed gratitude for the federal resources Biden made immediately available.

McMaster called Biden's response "superb," and Lee remarked that there was a "fast turnaround, frankly" when getting the federal support he requested. Kemp directly rebutted Trump's claim that the Georgia governor couldn't get Biden on the phone, saying that Biden not only called him directly, but asked: "What do you need?"

And the crazy thing is that Washington Post did a fact check and it was actually Donald Trump during his administration who has taken money from FEMA, the relief fund, to use on undocumented immigrants.

During his presidency, Trump also politicized emergency response in wildfire-ravaged California. Politico's E&E News reported that in 2018, he was initially hesitant to allocate money toward fire relief in southern California due to the Golden State's reputation as a Democratic stronghold. In fact, he didn't warm to opening up federal funds for emergency relief until an administration official told him that Orange County, California had more Trump voters than the entire state of Iowa.

"We went as far as looking up how many votes he got in those impacted areas … to show him these are people who voted for you," former Trump administration National Security Council official Mark Harvey told E&E. Harvey has since endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris' 2024 campaign.

Climate activists have been pointing to Hurricane Helene as a frightening example of the type of disaster that will become more common as climate change escalates. Helene has inflicted considerable hardship on the southeastern United States, resulting in more than 215 deaths, widespread flooding and millions of power outages — from Florida to Georgia to the Carolinas.

Although President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were quick to respond to the disaster, former President Donald Trump falsely claimed they were neglecting it and that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp was unable to reach Biden — a claim that Kemp himself debunked, saying that Biden invited the conservative GOP governor to call him directly. Kemp added, "I appreciate that."

In a biting New York Times column published on October 3, liberal economist Paul Krugman emphasizes that Trump's bogus claims about Biden and Harris' response to Helene fit into a broader pattern of trying to convince voters that the Biden-era U.S. is a "hellscape" and that only he can restore normalcy.

"In case you missed it," Krugman explains, "Trump has been trying to exploit the natural disaster for political gain, claiming he heard that the federal government — Biden — and North Carolina's Democratic governor, (Roy Cooper), are 'going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas.' This claim has no basis: Major rescue and recovery operations are underway, and several governors of the affected states — including Republicans — have praised federal efforts."

Krugman argues that Trump's "vision of America-as-hellscape seems to be losing its political mojo," noting that according to a recent Cook Political Report poll of swing states, Harris is "tied on the issue of who can best deal with inflation and the cost of living, and barely trailing on who can best deal with crime and violence."

"Former FEMA officials expressed skepticism about Trump's visit to Valdosta, Ga., soon after the storm passed, not only because he used the visit to politicize a tragedy, but because such a visit 'does eat up resources on the ground,'" Krugman notes. "But the temptation for Trump to suggest that Biden was playing politics with his hurricane response must have been irresistible, because it so closely fits the template of many of his other claims. The key to Trump's tall tales is to tell his supporters that terrible things are happening somewhere out there, even if those things aren't happening to them or where they can see them."

Krugman continues, "He and JD Vance keep perpetuating claims that Haitians are eating pets in Springfield, Ohio; not many people have been there themselves to see that this isn't true."

The Times columnist goes on to say, however, that it remains to be seen how much of an effect Trump's incessant "fear-mongering" will have on Election Day.

" Will it work? I have no idea," Krugman writes. "What I do know is that it's more of the same. Trump is promising to rescue us from dire threats that exist only in his mind.

Former Republican and noted Trump critic Tara Setmayer warned, "We’re being tested and our democracy is on the line because what Donald Trump is saying is not just crazy batsh---ery. It’s dangerous. It’s authoritarian. It’s anti-democratic. It’s the ideology of hostility toward others. In Trump’s mind we’re not all equal and American voters need to make a decision about the type of country they want to live in and what kind of future they want to leave for their children.”