Trump offers prayers for people in hurricane’s path; lashes out at Harris

SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump offered his prayers to those in the path of Hurricane Milton as it began to lash Florida while continuing to lash out at his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Trump kept up his campaign schedule even as the storm threatened to overshadow the presidential race with fears that it would cause catastrophic damage in Tampa and other parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast. Harris was to fly to Nevada later Wednesday for a western campaign swing, but first attended a briefing on the storm and the federal response that President Joe Biden received at the White House.

Speaking in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Trump lobbed insults at Harris — calling her “grossly incompetent” and “totally ill-quipped to do the job of being President of the United States.”

In a Tuesday social media post, Trump had said Harris was “being exposed as a ‘dummy.”

He is appearing in Reading, Pennsylvania, later on Wednesday, where he is talking about the economy and immigration in a city that is two-thirds Hispanic.

Hurricane Milton has already disrupted the campaign, just two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated large swaths of the Southeast. Trump, who moved to Florida after he left the White House, postponed a virtual event Tuesday night focused on health care and postponed a Univision town hall that was supposed to happen in Miami.

Harris has her own Univision town hall planned for Thursday in Las Vegas before returning to Arizona for her second visit to both states in less than two weeks.

Trump, at his rally in Scranton — Biden’s birthplace — said he was praying for those in the hurricane’s path and wanted to “send our love to everyone in Florida. They’re going through a big one tonight.”

“We’re praying for them and asking God to keep them all safe, all those people. I’ve never seen a hurricane like that,” he went on. “So often you know, they talk about it and they talk talk talk because they want you to watch. This is the real deal. This is a bad one.”

Campaigning in Arizona, where early voting kicked off on Wednesday, Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, called on the country to come together to support those who will be impacted.

“Those are Americans. Those are our neighbors. Those are our family members. Those are our friends,” he said, calling unifying across party lines in the face of natural disasters “critical.”

Milton is approaching just days after Hurricane Helene killed more than 220 people in six Southeastern states and left behind a swath of destruction that federal, state and local authorities are trying to alleviate even as they now brace for the next storm.

Both Biden and Harris denounced the misinformation and disinformation surrounding the federal response to Helene, including the false assertion that there is a cap on assistance funding families can receive. They also denounced the false notion that funding is being diverted away from Republican-heavy areas and to people in the country illegally and that federal authorities offering aid could eventually steal property from its owners.

“I want to be clear about something. Over the last few weeks, there’s been a reckless, irresponsible, and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies that are disturbing people,” Biden said during the Milton briefing. “It’s undermining confidence in the incredible rescue and recovery work that has already been taken and will continue to be taken. And it’s harmful to those who need help the most.”

Harris also joined a phone call with Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about ongoing tensions in the Middle East. Trump’s campaign said that the former president had spoken to Netanyahu after Iran launched recent missile attacks on Israel.

“World leaders want to speak and meet with President Trump because they know he will soon be returning to the White House and will restore peace around the globe,” Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.