The White House continued its briefings on the threat of Hurricane Milton as it heads toward central Florida, with President Joe Biden also decrying the spread of misinformation about the response and recovery.
“For the last few weeks, there’s been a reckless, irresponsible, relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies that are disturbing people,” Biden said today. “It’s undermining confidence in the incredible rescue and recovery work that has already been taken adn will continue to be taken. It’s harmful to those who need help most.”
He singled out Donald Trump, saying that he “has led the onslaught of lies.” That includes “assertions that property is being confiscated. That’s simply not true. They’re saying people impacted by these storms will receive $750 in cash and no more. That’s simply not true. They’re saying the money that is needed for this crisis is being diverted to migrants. What a ridiculous thing to say.”
Biden also called out Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) for her claim that the federal government is controlling the weather. “Its beyond ridiculous,” Biden said.
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The White House has been trying to counter misinformation, much of which has spread on social media. On Tuesday, the White House launched a Reddit account to provide updates and to respond to online rumors. Administration officials also have been on cable news talking about hurricane preparation, including Vice President Kamala Harris, who called into CNN and also addressed the misinformation.
Republicans also have called out falsehoods. Earlier today, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) was asked about a tweet that told people not to evacuate, claiming that FEMA would not let people back into their homes.
“I think most people are wise to this,” DeSantis said. “We live in an era where if you put out a lot of crap online, you can get a lot of people to share it, and you can monetize that. That is just the way it is. But you are hearing things, something that is just outrageous. In the state of Florida, nothing like that would ever fly.”
Another Republican, Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina, issued a fact check on Tuesday, countering some of Trump’s claims. “FEMA has NOT diverted disaster response funding to the border or foreign aid,” he wrote. “Disaster response efforts and individual assistance are funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts.”
He went through other claims. “I encourage you to remember that everything you see on Facebook, X, or any other social media platform is not always fact,” Edwards wrote.
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