Former President Donald Trump faces a new wave of criticism after doubling down on false claims pertaining to hurricane response efforts by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Trump and several of his allies spread misinformation about the response from FEMA and President Joe Biden's administration since Hurricane Helene tore through a region extending from Florida to North Carolina late last month, leaving over 200 people dead and delivering massive damage to infrastructure.
During a campaign stop in North Carolina on Monday, the ex-president was asked about a man who was arrested earlier this month on charges of "going armed to the terror of the public" after urging others to help him "overtake" a FEMA site in the Tar Heel State.
Trump did not disavow threats against the agency and rejected the idea that saying FEMA "was not doing their job" had hindered recovery efforts, with the former president instead repeating the false claim that the agency's disaster relief funds were being diverted to illegal migrants.
"I think you have to let people know how they're doing," Trump said. "These people are entitled to say it ... Look, a lot of the money is gone ... it's all gone. They've spent it on illegal migrants."
"They spent money to bring people into our country and they don't have money to take care of the people from North Carolina and other states," he added. "I think you have to be able to speak."
While some FEMA money has been spent to house migrants, the...
The White House criticized Trump for spreading dangerous misinformation. 5 min SWANNANOA, N.C. — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump declined to condemn violent threats to Federal Emergenc...