President Joe Biden said on Thursday that the federal government is swiftly mobilising to assist those affected by Hurricane Milton and delivered a blunt message to his predecessor, who has been spreading false claims about the federal response.
When asked by reporters after his remarks at the White House whether he had spoken with former President Donald Trump, Biden responded with disbelief: "Are you joking?"
He then directed a pointed message at Trump, saying, "Mr President Trump — former President Trump — get a life, mate. Help these people."
Biden’s appearance underscored the federal government’s urgency in countering the surge of misinformation that began after Hurricane Helene late last month and has intensified following Hurricane Milton this week. This marks the third time in about 24 hours that the president has addressed the nation about the storm, each time ensuring to denounce false rumours and calling out Trump by name as one of the main sources of storm-related misinformation.
When asked again, as he was leaving the room, whether he had plans to speak with Trump, Biden simply replied, "No."
Biden told reporters that lives had been saved due to Florida residents heeding local officials' evacuation orders. However, he cautioned that it was still too early to assess the full extent of the damage, as Hurricane Milton had only made landfall a few hours prior.
“It’s too early to know the complete scale of the damage,” Biden said from the White House. “But we know that life-saving measures have made a difference.”
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