Trump’s Georgia Trip, Project 2025 Will Harm Disaster Relief Efforts

Washington, D.C. — After spending the past week ignoring Hurricane Helene and leaning into climate denialism, Donald Trump visited Valdosta, GA, for a politically motivated photo-op that diverted essential resources and aid away from devastated communities. 

Climate Power Executive Director Lori Lodes issued the following statement: 

“Donald Trump is not fit to be president—especially in times of crisis and extreme weather. In the wake of Hurricane Helene, Trump’s trip to Georgia is a cheap political stunt that diverts necessary resources away from people who need it most. This week, Trump kicks off a swing of fundraisers with Big Oil—the very people who have fueled the climate crisis that makes storms like Helene more deadly. Donald Trump is doing what he has always done: exploit devastated communities for his own political gain and then abandon them to fend for themselves.” 

Don’t buy Trump’s pandering, here are the facts: 

• Donald Trump’s trip to Valdosta is a cheap political stunt that diverts essential resources away from the people impacted by Hurricane Helene. President Biden and Vice President Harris said they will not visit impacted communities until they can do so without disrupting ongoing aid and emergency response services. 
• Black communities and communities of color are impacted first and worst by climate disasters and extreme weather.
  • Valdosta, GA has a majority Black population at 54%. 
  • In North Carolina, Black and Brown communities located in flood-prone areas experience some of the worst impacts of climate change with every storm. 
  • Nationally, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that Black communities will face the largest increases in flood risk from 2020 to 2050. 
  • In the southeastern U.S., almost 17% of Black-owned homes will be at risk of storm damage by 2050. 
• Trump’s dangerous Big Oil-backed Project 2025 agenda would gut the Small Business Administration’s disaster loan program, which provides essential funding to small businesses and families needing to repair or rebuild following a disaster. 
• Trump’s Project 2025 agenda would privatize the National Weather Service, putting lifesaving extreme weather alerts behind a paywall. 
• Trump’s trip to Valdosta is just a layover on his way to raise money from Big Oil later this week. Big Oil fuels the climate crisis, which makes storms like Helene more frequent and deadly. 
• Last week, JD Vance went to Florida to raise money while the state braced for Helene’s landfall. 
• Trump has a long history of failing to take climate disasters seriously – from throwing paper towels to altering an official map of Hurricane Dorian’s path with a sharpie. 
• Donald Trump and JD Vance are more than happy to visit impacted communities when it serves them politically or financially, then immediately abandon them to fend for themselves. 

Contact Climate Power at press@climatepower.us if you are interested in doing interviews with Lori Lodes.