Vice President Kamala Harris has caused national controversy online after she pledged millions of dollars to help support Lebanon while citizens in North Carolina continue to suffer in the wake of Hurricane Helene. When announced through an update to X (former Twitter), the retaliatory words of public figures as well as popular users quickly tarred Harris as out of touch with the desires of Americans.
James Woods, the actor, took the first hits, posting on X, “This must be fake. Kamala Harris, aka the definition of stupid isn’t stupid enough to make this post. No way not when North Carolinians are slinging their neighbors’ corpses out of the rubble. It’s simply inconceivable.”
Harris Offers Help to Lebanon During Internal Strife
Harris wrote that she was worried about civilians who had been injured in the new Lebanon war and gave back $157M to help provide humanitarian assistance “I’m worried about the safety and health of civilians injured in Lebanon and will keep working to provide aid for all civilians in Lebanon” and the money would be utilized for “food, shelter, water, protection, and sanitation” for refugees.
While Harris pointed to the terrible humanitarian situation in Lebanon, others felt that the timing of the post was insensitive because North Carolinians are still recovering from Hurricane Helene. The hurricane damaged property and infrastructure, and the remaining communities are in need of basic necessities.
Social Media Backlash
Vice president’s article immediately caused controversy Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-N.Y.) “Could this be any more tone deaf? There are Americans hurting, Americans in crisis, and this is what Kamala needs to tell us, America First!”
Journalist Eric Daugherty also reacted to the post, branding it a political failure in a closely fought race. “As a refresher – Kamala Harris’ campaign-suicidal tweet tonight mentioning Lebanon while major disaster cleanup and recovery continue is an admission that she’s losing Michigan right now,” Daugherty wrote.
Texas Gov Greg Abbott voiced the frustration, posting on X: “Kamala is bragging to give money to people in Lebanon — and being hardline for the humanitarian crisis in North Carolina. This is Kamala’s Katrina,” a pun on the much decried federal response to Hurricane Katrina of 2005.
Political Ramifications
The scandal arises as the Biden-Harris administration comes under increasing pressure for the way it responded to Hurricane Helene. President Donald Trump also made a point of criticizing the federal response as “the worst ‘storm’ at the federal level, that has ever happened.”
“Kamala and Sleepy Joe are universally being given POOR GRADES for the way that they are handling the Hurricane, especially in North Carolina,” Trump posted on Truth Social, adding to the pressure on Harris and the White House.
Harris’ Lebanon aid commitment has only made matters worse; others argue the money should be used for domestic disaster relief. It has also been cause for further debate of the administration’s priorities at a time when the 2024 presidential election is around the corner, and Trump and Harris are competing in a fraught race.
No one in the White House speaks.
Till this point, neither the White House nor the Harris campaign has responded to the uproar. It’s not going away anytime soon as the Biden-Harris administration continues to be hampered by several crises both abroad and in our country.
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