Kemp praises Biden’s Hurricane Helene response amid Trump criticism

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) expressed his appreciation for the role the federal government has played in responding to Hurricane Helene, contradicting comments from former President Trump, who claimed during a Monday visit to the state that Kemp had trouble reaching President Biden.

Kemp and White House officials confirmed Monday that Biden spoke to the governor on Sunday to offer support as the state sorts through the damage from Hurricane Helene.

“He just said, ‘Hey, what do you need?’” Kemp told reporters of his call with Biden. “And I told him, you know, we got what we need. We will work through the federal process. He offered that if there’s other things we need, just to call him directly, which, I appreciate that. But we’ve had FEMA embedded with us since, you know, a day or two before the storm hit.”

White House homeland security adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall on Monday also confirmed Biden and Kemp spoke, telling reporters Biden would take the governor’s call if anything else came up during the recovery process.

Trump on Monday visited Valdosta, Ga., to tour storm damage and express his support for the communities reeling from the damage. Upon landing, he criticized Biden’s response to the hurricane.

“The governor’s doing a very good job,” Trump said of Kemp. “He’s having a hard time getting the president on the phone. Federal government is not being responsive.”

Hurricane Helene made landfall Thursday in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane, bringing with it devastating winds and rainfall. Sherwood-Randall told reporters there are roughly 600 people unaccounted for across several states because of the storm.

Vice President Harris on Monday cut short a West Coast campaign swing to return to Washington and visit Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters for a briefing on the impacts of Helene and updates on the federal response.

Harris spoke Sunday with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) about the aftermath of the storm and reached out to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). She spoke Monday with Kemp, the White House said. Florida, Georgia and North Carolina bore the brunt of the storm’s impact.