Former Senate Intelligence Committee chief counsel Victoria Toensing criticized President Joe Biden’s disaster response during a Monday appearance on Newsmax’s “American Agenda,” highlighting a recurring pattern of former President Donald Trump taking quicker action in the face of tragedies.
Toensing contrasted Biden’s approach with Trump’s, saying Trump “always beats Biden to the punch” when it comes to disaster response.
“Trump was there with water and words for everybody,” she said, referencing Trump’s trip to Palestine, Ohio, where he assessed the damage caused when a train derailed while carrying hazardous material that burned for days.
“And Joe Biden. I don’t think he’s ever made it there, did he? No, Pete Buttigieg made it,” she added, underscoring Biden’s absence from the disaster site.
Trump’s visit to Georgia on Monday, a key battleground state, came as Biden faced questions about his decision not to travel immediately to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Helene. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended the president’s absence, explaining that Biden did not want to divert resources on the ground by bringing along his Secret Service detail and motorcade.
However, Toensing was unconvinced by the explanation, stating, “I don’t think she explained anything. She was very, very clear about being very clear about Biden. But that’s all she ever says. So, she didn’t explain anything. And Trump is supposedly to have the same kind of big footprint that the president has, and he made it there today.”
Trump’s Monday visit to Valdosta, Georgia, included a brief stop to speak with reporters, where he refrained from direct political criticism of Biden but did express discontent with the federal response to the disaster. In the lead-up to his visit, Trump voiced dissatisfaction with how Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris handled the hurricane’s aftermath, though he avoided the topic during his in-person remarks.
Toensing’s remarks on Newsmax were part of a broader criticism of the Biden administration’s disaster response efforts, which she says lack the urgency displayed by Trump. “This is… what else is new?” Toensing said, reflecting on what she perceives as a consistent pattern of inattention.
Biden did announce Monday that he plans to visit areas affected by Hurricane Helene “later this week,” with a scheduled trip to North Carolina by Thursday, contingent on conditions on the ground, CBS News reported.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.
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