Hurricane of fake news Hurricane "Milton" makes the US election campaign even dirtier

Before Hurricane Milton hits the coast of Florida, there is a political battle in the US over the powerful storm. Donald Trump attacks his opponent in the US election campaign, Kamala Harris.

"Milton", a category 5 hurricane with the strongest winds, hits the west coast of Florida in the USA. It brings with it considerable destructive potential. While people in the affected areas are preparing for the approaching hurricane and working through their fears, the political debate about how to deal with fake news is intensifying in the course of the US election campaign. Because one thing is clear: the topic is also very important with a view to the US presidential elections in November.

This time, the heated discussion started earlier, as presidential candidate Donald Trump already tried to exploit Hurricane Helene last week for his political goals. More than 200 people are said to have died as a result of "Helene" and there was huge destruction.

Trump used the disaster for his election campaign and criticized President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for not reacting optimally and ignoring Republican areas. As "Politico" writes, this also included the false claim that funds were spent on migrants instead of disaster relief.

Federal and state officials, however, have unequivocally debunked Trump's claims, and even Republican members have portrayed the government's post-hurricane response as largely positive. The U.S. Emergency Management Agency has now even set up a website to refute false news stories.

For CNN, however, Vice President Kamala Harris is now under great pressure. She must show that she is able to show empathy for the victims and that she is also acting correctly in crisis situations. Any failure of the post-Milton relief effort could haunt her until next month's elections. Even with efforts well underway, Trump will not hold back and will certainly make up a story that paints Harris as a failure.

Harris sees the danger and has begun criticizing her rival in interviews for spreading conspiracy theories. She called Trump's spreading of misinformation callous and the "height of irresponsibility."

Ryan Williams, a Republican strategist, expressed his views on the heated discussions clearly in "Politico": "It's not helpful to try to politicize a storm. Focus on helping the victims as best you can." A clear warning to his party colleague Trump.

However, as the devastation stretches across the contested swing states, this is certainly easier said than done. Because the race for the presidency remains a close story.