Column: Trump’s storm recovery lies aren’t just a political disaster. They’re dangerous.
Politics tamfitronics You can’t predict the weather, but you can predict the politics that accompany major weather events. Good leaders respond promptly to disasters because it’s the humane thing to do and it’s their job. But the cold hard truth is that helping Americans in need also presents a great campaigning opportunity. Rendering relief on a public stage is a winning strategy. No matter the party, optics matter.But when the effort to boost one’s polling numbers involves suppressing life-saving information and critical relief, it’s clear that American politics have hit a cynical apex.Just as climate change is contributing to destructive storms with devastating frequency, the Republican Party’s shift to the far right is resulting in another sort of unrelenting, destructive deluge: disaster misinformation.Hurricane Helene, the second-deadliest hurricane behind Katrina to strike the U.S. mainland...
