Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump didn’t mince words when she went head-to-head with CNN’s Dana Bash over hurricane relief funds. During a heated exchange, Bash accused the Trump-Vance Campaign of spreading “misinformation” about FEMA’s depleted disaster relief budget—a claim that quickly fell apart under scrutiny.
The clash came after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas himself acknowledged that FEMA’s disaster funds were running dry, offering just $750 to American families who’d lost everything to Hurricane Helene.
Secretary of The Department of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, admitting excessive Funding on Illegal Migrants using FEMA Money in 2023. Mayorkas then admits FEMA is running out of Capital for their Annual Budget in 2024.
This Administration is misappropriating Funds and… pic.twitter.com/hZgENpdGrr
— Sam Mitha (@MithaLaw) October 3, 2024
Bash tried to frame this as a case of fearmongering, insisting that reports of FEMA redirecting money meant for disaster relief to migrants were simply untrue. She even suggested that Trump’s remarks were parroting “conspiracy theorists” online. But Lara Trump, a North Carolina native who has seen the devastation firsthand, was ready with a response. “I hear every day from people on the ground there, and they are desperate for help,” Trump emphasized. “It is a dire situation there. I actually think we don’t even know the extent yet of truly how bad it is.”
Trump then pointed out the administration’s puzzling priorities: “Kamala Harris did come out and say it’s $750 per family right now,” she noted. “Meanwhile, we’ve spent $650 million in fiscal year 2024 on the migrant crisis—one that Kamala Harris was supposed to address at the border.” Her frustration with the administration’s mixed messages and mishandling of resources was palpable. Why, she argued, should taxpayers be footing the bill for migrants staying in luxury hotels while their own fellow citizens struggle to find basic shelter after a disaster?
Bash, sticking to the administration’s talking points, dismissed the claim about funds being shifted to migrant settlements. “FEMA says flatly it’s not true,” she insisted, suggesting that such “misinformation” could prevent people from seeking the help they need. But Lara Trump wasn’t having it. She refused to let Bash sweep the real issue under the rug. “Let me just say for one second, you have migrants being housed in luxury hotels in New York City,” she fired back. “We have paid so much money from our tax dollars into the crisis that didn’t need to happen. We could redirect money to help people immediately on the ground in North Carolina or in Florida.”
Yes, FEMA took funds and used them for migrants. No the media is not telling you the truth. No I do not need to see articles from Washington Post.
I can listen to KJP.
Please send this to any liberals who is spreading misinformation regarding why FEMA is out of money. pic.twitter.com/xD5FVQXOFM
— Insurrection Barbie (@DefiyantlyFree) October 5, 2024
Even Bash had to acknowledge the uncomfortable reality: billions of taxpayer dollars have gone to settling migrants while Americans in need are being told there’s nothing left in the coffers. The question isn’t whether disaster relief funds are being redirected—it’s about why the administration can find billions to deal with a border crisis of its own making but only pennies for citizens struggling to rebuild their lives after a deadly storm.
Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump ripped into the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) handling of Hurricane Helene and sparred with CNN host Dana Bash over whether her father-in-law was spewing misinformation. pic.twitter.com/5lhylN6cPk
— Simo saadi🇲🇦🇵🇸🇺🇸 (@Simo7809957085) October 6, 2024
Meanwhile, here’s what’s reportedly being sent out by the Kamala campaign:
The Harris campaign reminding North Carolinians that if Trump wins not only will they still not get any help from FEMA but they won’t be able to abort any unwanted hurricane babies either pic.twitter.com/3ZKxAKkbE6
— Mel (@Villgecrazylady) October 4, 2024
The message from Lara Trump and the Republican side is crystal clear: the administration’s priorities are out of whack. When American families are dealing with the wreckage of Hurricane Helene, the idea that their government is more focused on housing newcomers than on helping them is infuriating. Americans deserve more than $750 in relief when they’ve lost their homes, and they certainly deserve more than a finger-wagging lecture about “misinformation” from a media that seems more interested in defending the administration than in holding it accountable.